Cover These K-pop idol exits changed the course of some of the industry‘s biggest groups (Photo: Instagram/@jessica.syj)
These K-pop idol exits changed the course of some of the industry‘s biggest groups (Photo: Instagram/@jessica.syj)
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Some K-pop idol exits were sudden, some were fiercely disputed and others sparked battles between agencies and fandoms
A K-pop group is built to look permanent. The members arrive together, live together, debut together, pose together, learn each other’s choreography down to the smallest movement—and, for fans, eventually become difficult to imagine separately.
It is why an idol leaving can feel less like a casting change and more like a rupture.
Sometimes the departure comes with a carefully worded agency statement. Sometimes it happens so abruptly that fans are left piecing together what happened from a single social-media post, a press release or an ominously empty space in the next group photo. And sometimes the exit becomes bigger than the controversy that caused it, creating a second life for the idol outside the group.
Over the past two decades, K-pop has produced plenty of these moments. Some have been messy. Some have been heartbreaking. A few have been almost surreal. But the most memorable ones leave behind a question that is harder to answer than “Why did they leave?”: What happens to a group once one of its members is no longer there? Here are some of the most memorable K-pop idol exits that shocked music fans.
In case you missed it: K-pop break-ups: 11 explosive idol splits and legal battles
1. Jay Park, 2PM (2009)
Above An old MySpace post turned into one of the earliest modern K-pop controversies to unfold on a truly massive scale
Before Twitter, Instagram and TikTok turned idol controversies into real-time global events, there was Jay Park’s MySpace.
Park, then the leader of 2PM, faced enormous backlash in South Korea in 2009 after old posts he had written as a teenager while a trainee in the country resurfaced online. The comments, which expressed frustration about his life in Korea, were widely condemned as insulting to the country.
Park apologised and left 2PM. He initially described his departure as a personal decision, then returned to the United States, while JYP Entertainment later announced that his exclusive contract had been terminated.
The exit might have been the end of his K-pop career. Instead, it became the beginning of another one.
Park eventually returned to the entertainment industry as a solo artist and built a career far removed from the idol system, founding AOMG and later H1GHR MUSIC while becoming one of the most influential figures in Korean hip-hop and R&B.
The irony is difficult to miss: one of the most consequential K-pop exits of the late 2000s eventually produced a star whose career became almost entirely independent of the system he had left.
2. Jessica Jung, Girls’ Generation (2014)
Above One Weibo post turned an ordinary September morning into one of the most infamous days in second-generation K-pop
On September 30, 2014, Jessica Jung’s sudden departure from Girls’ Generation unfolded publicly and almost in real time.
Jung posted on Weibo that she had been informed that she was no longer a member of the group. SM Entertainment subsequently confirmed that Girls’ Generation would continue as an eight-member group, while presenting a different account of the circumstances surrounding her departure.
Jung’s fashion business, Blanc & Eclare, was at the centre of the dispute. SM said conflicts between her business activities and group commitments had become unsustainable. Jung maintained that she had received approval to pursue the business and had attempted to balance it with her responsibilities as a member of Girls’ Generation.
The disagreement became bigger than a dispute between an idol and her agency. Girls’ Generation was one of the defining groups of its era, and Jung left while the group remained one of the biggest names in K-pop.
She subsequently pursued a solo career in acting and fashion, while Girls’ Generation continued as eight.
See more: 7 versatile K-pop idols with remarkably successful solo careers
3. HyunA and Dawn, 4Minute and Pentagon (2018)
Above Two idols confirmed their relationship themselves—and soon found themselves outside their agency
Few K-pop departures were as directly precipitated by a workplace romance as those of HyunA and Dawn.
In August 2018, dating reports surfaced while the pair were promoting alongside Pentagon’s Hui in the co-ed sub-unit Triple H under Cube Entertainment. When Cube issued a swift blanket denial, HyunA and Dawn took the unprecedented step of personally speaking to the press to confirm they had been dating secretly for two years.
The institutional retaliation was immediate. Cube pulled Triple H from music broadcasts, halted promotions and eventually announced that both artists would be expelled from the company, citing a complete breakdown of trust.
Dawn (then performing as E’Dawn) was forced out of Pentagon just as the rookie boy group was gaining commercial momentum. HyunA was already an established, arena-filling solo superstar who had transitioned seamlessly following 4Minute’s 2016 disbandment. The controversy ignited fierce industry debates regarding agency control over artists’ private lives, with both performers later signing jointly with Psy’s P Nation to continue their careers on their own terms.
4. B.I, iKON (2019)
Above A report about alleged drug purchases sent iKON’s leader and principal songwriter out of the group almost immediately
B.I, born Kim Han-bin, was central to iKON's identity: he was the group’s leader and the primary songwriter and producer behind their biggest hits.
In 2019, reports emerged concerning alleged attempts by B.I to purchase illegal drugs in 2016. He subsequently announced that he would leave iKON, saying that he wanted to take responsibility and avoid causing further harm to the group. YG Entertainment later terminated his exclusive contract.
The case did not end with his departure. B.I’s legal situation continued to develop, and he was eventually convicted in 2021 of purchasing and using illegal drugs, receiving a suspended prison sentence.
His exit nonetheless had an immediate impact on iKON. A group that had been built in significant part around B.I’s songwriting suddenly had to continue without its leader and creative anchor.
B.I eventually returned to the music industry as a soloist, releasing the charity project single “Midnight Blue” and his acclaimed debut solo studio album, Waterfall, in 2021.
5. Wonho, Monsta X (2019)
Above Wonho left Monsta X amid a rapidly expanding controversy; subsequent investigations complicated some of the claims circulating at the time
Wonho’s departure from Monsta X in October 2019 underscored how quickly unverified online claims can derail a prominent idol’s career.
Allegations brought forward by former acquaintances surfaced on social media, claiming past unpaid debts and juvenile misconduct alongside allegations of drug use in 2013. Seeking to protect the group’s imminent promotional cycle from intensifying media scrutiny, Wonho voluntarily withdrew from Monsta X.
A comprehensive police narcotics investigation followed. In March 2020, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency formally cleared Wonho of all illegal drug allegations, officially concluding the investigation without charge.
Despite his legal exoneration, the departure from Monsta X remained permanent. Wonho subsequently signed with Highline Entertainment, a subsidiary of Starship Entertainment, relaunching his career as a successful solo artist and producer in late 2020.
6. Soojin, (G)I-DLE (2021)
Above School-bullying allegations pulled one of (G)I-DLE’s most prominent members into a dispute that lasted months
When allegations about Soojin’s middle-school years surfaced online in 2021, Cube Entertainment initially denied wrongdoing and announced that it would investigate the claims.
Soojin denied accusations of school violence, while actress Seo Shin-ae, who had attended the same school, made statements that many interpreted as referring to the controversy. The two sides disputed aspects of what had happened.
Cube eventually suspended Soojin's activities. Months later, the company announced that she would leave (G)I-DLE, and the group continued as five members.
Her departure came during a period when allegations concerning bullying and school violence were increasingly affecting Korean entertainers, making Soojin's case part of a much larger reckoning over how the industry handled accusations about celebrities' school years.
7. Kim Garam, Le Sserafim (2022)
Above Kim Garam’s time in Le Sserafim lasted only weeks before allegations surrounding her school years brought her rookie career to an abrupt halt
Kim Garam had barely debuted with Le Sserafim when allegations concerning her middle-school years began circulating online.
Hybe and Source Music initially defended Garam and disputed aspects of the allegations. The company subsequently placed her on hiatus while the controversy was investigated.
Garam did not return to the group. In July 2022, HYBE announced that her exclusive contract had been terminated and that Le Sserafim would continue with five members. In a nutshell: Le Sserafim debuted in May, but by July, one of its six original members was already gone.
Unlike veteran idols whose departures followed years of group activity, Garam’s case showed how little room there could be for a newly debuted idol to weather controversy in the era of instant online scrutiny.
8. Chuu, Loona (2022)
Above BlockBerry Creative said Chuu had been removed from Loona. People who had worked with her quickly offered a very different picture
Chuu’s exit from Loona stands out because the agency’s expulsion notice triggered an industry revolt rather than a public condemnation of the idol.
In November 2022, BlockBerry Creative published an extraordinary statement claiming Chuu was being expelled from Loona due to alleged verbal abuse and power-tripping behaviour toward staff. The public reaction was the inverse of what the agency anticipated: television producers, commercial crew members and fellow bandmates publicly stepped forward to defend Chuu’s character.
The dispute quickly revealed deep-seated contractual grievances, specifically unfair revenue-splitting terms that left members in perpetual debt despite heavy schedules. Chuu successfully won an injunction against the agency, and the remaining 11 members followed suit by filing their own injunctions to suspend their contracts.
By mid-2023, the entire group had freed themselves from BlockBerry Creative, reorganising into new formations—ARTMS, Loossemble and solo acts—while Chuu signed with ATRP to establish her solo career.
9. Seunghan, Riize (2023-2024)
Above SM Entertainment announced Seunghan’s return to Riize. Two days later, it announced that he was leaving for good
Seunghan’s departure from Riize serves as a vivid case study of modern domestic fandom leverage driving corporate personnel decisions.
Shortly after Riize’s debut in September 2023, private pre-debut videos and photographs surfaced online showing the singer smoking on a street as a minor and engaging in private relationships. As public commentary intensified, SM Entertainment placed him on an indefinite hiatus in November 2023 to protect the rookie group’s commercial rollout.
After nearly a year of silence, SM’s production division announced on 11 October 2024 that Seunghan would gradually resume group activities.
The backlash from domestic fans was immediate and fierce. Hundreds of ceremonial funeral wreaths demanding his removal lined the perimeter of SM’s Seongsu-dong headquarters, accompanied by targeted protest trucks and album cancellation threats. On 13 October 2024—roughly 48 hours after announcing his return—SM capitulated to domestic pressure, releasing a statement confirming Seunghan’s permanent exit from Riize to preserve the remaining six-member formation.
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Sasha Lim Uy Mariposa is a lifestyle journalist who is known for her food writing. Based in Manila and currently a marketing content specialist, she still dabbles in entertainment, beauty and dining coverage. She was the former managing editor of Esquire Philippines and was the food editor at SPOT.ph. She also edited several best-selling books about food.
She now writes for the different Tatler Asia markets as a contributing writer for T-Labs.
