Though most things in K-pop are reported on with all the facts, there are still some things in the industry that remain a mystery. Here are some of th
Though most things in K-pop are reported on with all the facts, there are still some things in the industry that remain a mystery. Here are some of the biggest mysteries in K-pop that fans still wonder about to this day.
1. Laun Leaving ONF
(Photo: Kpopping)
In 2019, WM Entertainment announced member Laun was leaving the group for personal reasons and terminated his contract with the company. Personal reasons were never stated. This had shocked fans, as just a week before, he was present with the group for the filming of the Idol Star Athletics Competition. He had also just made his acting debut and was introduced as “ONF’s Laun”. Even an hour before the announcement of his departure, ONG member E-Tion was holding a V-Live. When the news arose that Laun would be leaving, member J-Us took to the group’s fan cafe and revealed that they heard the news the same time WM Entertainment revealed and they were not informed of it prior.
This had caused many to believe that even the ONF members were not informed of Laun’s departure. Many have since wondered what was the personal reason that led to his withdrawal. It is still unknown.
2. PRISTIN Disbanding
(Photo: PRISTIN Instagram)
When PRISTIN debuted, they had a moderately successful debut, gaining popularity for having two former I.O.I members and the majority of the group having competed on “Produce 101”. The group was on a rise, even winning “New Artist Award” at the Seoul Music Awards in 2018, “Rooie Award” in the 2017 Asia Artist Award”, and the “Best New Female Artist” award at the 2017 Mnet Asian Music Awards. Despite the success, the group only had one comeback in 2017 and went on a hiatus. In 2018, they debuted their first sub-unit, PRISTIN V.
After almost two years of no activities, PLEDIS Entertainment announced PRISTIN would be disbanding. This had shocked many, as the group was relatively popular and they had only had one comeback. Only three members remained signed under the label, with the other seven leaving the company. During HINAPIA’s showcase, former PRISTIN member Yaebin revealed the group was working on a new album, leading many to believe even the members were uninformed of the disbandment until it happened. It is unknown why the group chose to disband.
3. Jessica Leaving Girls’ Generation
(Photo: Pinterest)
In 2013, Jessica announced on her personal Weibo account that she was being “forced out” of Girls’ Generation. SM Entertainment confirmed the news, saying that Jessica would no longer be part of the group and that Girls’ Generation would be promoting as eight members. Jessica’s fashion company, Blanc Group, also released a statement, saying she was made to leave the group by the company and her members.
There have been numerous rumors surrounding her departure from SM Entertainment. Some say she was forced out of the group after Jessica failed to manage activities as a member of the group and with her fashion brand, with Jessica not putting enough importance to the group. Some say Jessica had planned to leave the group in 2015 anyway and that her members had planned a good-bye stage for her during their Tokyo Dome Concert. Rumors say she had chosen to stay with the group instead but was forced out since her members and the label planned her farewell concert and hiatus plan already. Some say the members of Girls’ Generation did not want Jessica as a semi-active member of the group.
None of these were confirmed, and the specifics of her departure are still unknown.
4. Woojin Leaving Stray Kids
(Photo: Twitter)
In 2019, it was announced that Woojin would be leaving Stray Kids for personal reasons and that his exclusive contract with JYP Entertainment had been terminated. This had shocked many fans as there were no prior signs that Woojin would be leaving the group.
In 2020, leader Bang Chan held a live stream, in which fans believed he was indirectly mentioning Woojin. During the steam, he was talking about knowing someone who made a mistake and he and the people around him had to face the consequences. He went on to say that if you make a promise with a team, you need to be responsible and keep those promises. He also added that STAYs, the fans, know what he is talking about.
As he was talking about being a team and betrayal, fans started speculating that Woojin had done something to break the trust of the group, which led to his removal from Stray Kids.
None of this is unconfirmed. However, many fans believe that the staff members making Bang Chan stop his live stream after the incident is a big enough indicator that it has some truth to it.
5. Taeha Leaving MOMOLAND
(Photo: Twitter)
In 2019, it was announced that both Yeonwoo and Taeha would be leaving MOMOLAND. At the time, they stated that Yeonwoo would be pursuing her career as an actress and would be leaving the group as not to put a strain on her and her members. For Taeha, however, they did not give a specific reason as to why she was leaving. Instead, they said that their exclusive contract with her has been terminated and she will have a new start elsewhere.
Many brought up how Taeha had been on a hiatus since the group released “BAAM” in 2018, which means she had been inactive with the group for about a year. At the time, Taeha was on a hiatus for “personal reasons”, but it was never stated what those reasons were. Many speculate that she was gone for the same reason as Daisy – because the company was blocking her from rejoining the group. This is unconfirmed, however.
6. NCT Mark and Haechan’s Summer Fight
(Photo: Pinterest)
No one knows why NCT’s Mark and Haechan started fighting. People just know it started in 2017 during NCT 127’s “Cherry Bomb” era and carried on into the summer during NCT Dream’s “We Young” era. On “NCT Night-Night”, NCT member Jaehyun mentioned that Mark and Haechan, who were previously roommates, had been fighting almost every night. They were fighting so loudly that their members could hear it through the walls. The fighting between the two had gotten so bad, Mark decided to switch rooms with Doyoung to get away from Haechan.
Fans starting noting that Mark and Haechan looked noticeably upset in their airport photos while the group was preparing for “We Young”. Their anger with one another was still apparent throughout the promotions. During the original choreography of “We Young”, Haechan is meant to put his hand on Mark’s shoulder. They had performed that move or the earlier stages, but fans noticed that in the later stages, Haechan had stopped performing the move, and the choreography was changed so that the two would not touch.
In a Jeno fancam, fans spotted the two in what seemed to be an argument, but no one knows what they were arguing about.
The two seemed to have patched things up in October and have since performed the original choreography of the dance. After the fight, Haechan revealed that Mark had changed his name on his phone from “My Love Donghyuck” to “Hateful Donghyuck”, so he changed Mark’s name on his phone to “Hateful Mark”. He said it happily, which led fans to believe they had rekindled their friendship.
7. Produce 101 Rankings
(Photo: CJ E&M)
In 2019, Mnet was under fire for rigging the votes of their most popular survival show series “Produce 101”. The show’s premise claimed that the line-up of the debut group would be selected through fan votes, but investigations showed that the line-up was pre-selected and that the fan votes were manipulated. The show’s producer, Ahn Joon Young, admitted to rigging all four seasons of the show, and he, producer Kim Young Bum, and six other entertainment agency representative were indicted for changes on the grounds of obstruction of business, fraud, and bribery.
This means that all four groups that debuted from the show – I.O.I, Wanna One, IZ*ONE, and X1 – had pre-selected line-ups. This led people to wonder what the line-up would be if they went purely by the fan votes. It is unknown who the members of the said line-ups would be, as the results had been rigged to let others debut.
Source: KpopStarz
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