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NCT’s Taeil, BIGBANG's Seungri, LE SSERAFIM's Kim Garam, and more K-pop idols removed from their groups post controversy
Let's take a look at NCT’s Taeil, BIGBANG's Seungri, LE SSERAFIM's Kim Garam, and other K-pop idols who were removed from their groups following controversies.
Content Warning: The following article mentions bullying, harassment, sexual abuse etc. Reader’s discretion is advised.
Many K-pop idols leave their groups each year, often due to contracts ending or busy schedules with other pursuits, such as acting. However, in some instances—typically following significant controversies—idols are compelled to leave their groups. In such cases, companies may explicitly state that they have decided to terminate the idols' contracts.
Among those who do achieve some level of popularity, many groups end up with fewer members than they originally had due to scandals, medical issues, or conflicts within the group or with the company. Leaving a group is often a difficult decision; some idols choose to leave, while others are removed. Here are a few idols who left their groups for particularly challenging controversies.
NCT’s Taeil
The most recent and one of the more shocking cases is ex-NCT's Taeil. On Wednesday 28th August, it was announced that Taeil has left the K-pop group NCT following accusations of an unspecified sexual crime. SM Entertainment, the agency representing the 30-year-old idol, issued a statement on X, confirming that Taeil would be departing from the band due to the serious nature of the allegations.
The label did not provide details about the specific allegations but emphasized that they "recognized the seriousness of the situation" and determined that Taeil, whose legal name is Moon Tae Il, could no longer "continue his activities with the team." Taeil has not publicly addressed the allegations.
Taeil was a member of NCT, or Neo Culture Technology, a globally popular South Korean boy band that debuted in 2016. Following the announcement of his departure, NCT’s official Instagram accounts, including those for NCT 127, unfollowed Taeil’s personal account. This action was quickly mirrored by several individual members, indicating a deliberate effort to distance themselves from the scandal.
Fans soon followed suit, with many distancing themselves from the idol, closing fan accounts dedicated to him, and destroying his merchandise to show solidarity with the victims.
BIGBANG’s Seungri
On March 11, 2019, Seungri left BIGBANG and retired from the entertainment industry amid serious allegations that he facilitated sex work for investors by drugging women at his club. He was charged with sexual bribery and embezzlement and was convicted in 2020 following a police investigation into the Burning Sun scandal.
Seungri's military trial began on September 16, 2020, where he denied seven of the eight charges against him. On August 12, 2021, the military court found him guilty on all counts and sentenced him to three years in prison along with a fine of 1.15 billion won (USD 970,000). However, on January 27, 2022, his sentence was reduced to 18 months after he admitted guilt to all charges and expressed remorse, stating he "will reflect on his actions." Seungri was released from prison on February 9, 2023.
LE SSERAFIM’s Kim Garam
In 2022, Kim Garam, a former member of the K-pop group LE SSERAFIM, was removed from the group following allegations of bullying. Reports indicated that Kim Garam was accused of both verbal and physical bullying of classmates, leading to significant fan backlash and her subsequent removal from the group.
After leaving the group, Kim Garam took to her friend’s Instagram to address the situation, firmly denying all allegations of bullying, as well as accusations of smoking and drinking. In response, HYBE released a brief statement asserting that "further comments are inappropriate" from their side. As a result, Kim Garam’s current whereabouts remain unknown.
It was previously reported that Kim Garam had returned to school after leaving LE SSERAFIM. However, this return was reportedly met with hostility from her classmates. According to a Twitter post, Kim Garam herself was subjected to bullying after her return. Although the timing of this information is unclear, it is evident that the former girl group member faces challenges in adjusting to regular life following her removal from the group.
(G)I-DLE’s Soojin
Soojin was removed from (G)I-DLE following allegations from an individual who claimed that Soojin had bullied their sibling. The controversy began when online posts surfaced accusing Soojin of bullying fellow students. Despite Soojin and Cube Entertainment's denials of the rumors, actress Seo Shin Ae later publicly accused Soojin of bullying her during their school years. Although Soojin continued to deny the allegations, Seo Shin Ae’s claims as an alleged victim intensified the situation, leading to Soojin taking a hiatus from her activities starting in March.
A few months later, Cube Entertainment announced Soojin’s official departure from (G)I-DLE, although her contract with the company initially remained intact. The ongoing flood of accusations led to a police investigation, which concluded that the original accusers had not spread false information. As a result, Cube Entertainment decided to officially terminate Soojin’s contract.
2PM’s Jay Park
Though Jay Park is now a prominent soloist, he initially gained fame as a member of the boy group 2PM, which debuted in 2008. A year after their debut, an old MySpace account from 2005 was discovered, revealing that Jay Park had made insensitive comments about Korea. In these posts, he insulted the country and expressed a desire to return to Seattle, where he was born.
Unsurprisingly, Jay Park's comments quickly spread, leading to widespread backlash. Despite issuing an apology, there was significant public pressure for him to leave the group. JYP Entertainment initially stated that he would remain a member, but a day later, Jay Park himself announced through his fancafe that he would step down from 2PM and return to Seattle to address the situation. He also apologized to his fellow 2PM members and vowed to "come back a better person."
Following Park's departure, JYP Entertainment confirmed that 2PM would continue as a six-member group. Due to the sensitive nature of Jay Park's exit, the group members were pulled from their regular variety show appearances. While Park's vocals remained on the older tracks, he did not participate in new releases, and the remaining six members re-filmed their music video for Heartbeat on October 31, 2009, without him.
2PM's first official album, titled 1:59PM, was named to symbolize Jay Park's absence, as noted by the remaining six members. During their acceptance speeches at end-of-year award shows for their hit single Again & Again, the members expressed gratitude towards Park and reiterated their hope for his return. At the Mnet Asian Music Awards, the group honored Jay Park during their performance of Again & Again by leaving a spotlight over his usual position in the dance formation and leaving his lines unsung.
iKON’s B.I
B.I debuted with the South Korean boy band iKON under YG Entertainment in September 2015. On June 12, 2019, it was revealed that B.I had allegedly attempted to purchase marijuana and LSD in 2016 from an undisclosed female dealer and had used the former. He was also accused of attempting to evade police charges. In response to the allegations, B.I posted an apology on his personal Instagram account, acknowledging some of the claims. He explained that he was going through a difficult and painful period and sought something to rely on. Following the revelations, B.I announced his departure from iKON.
On May 28, 2021, B.I was indicted without detention by the violent crimes department of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office for violating the Act on the Control of Narcotics. During the first hearing on August 26, 2021, he admitted to all the charges brought by the prosecution, which included three counts of illegal marijuana usage and one count of purchasing illegal LSD in 2016. On September 10, 2021, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced B.I to three years of incarceration, suspended for a probationary period of four years. Additionally, he was ordered to complete 80 hours of community service, 40 hours of drug education courses, and pay a fine of 1.5 million won (approximately USD 1,300).
Triple H’s HyunA and Dawn
On August 2, 2018, HyunA publicly revealed that she had been dating E'Dawn (now known as Dawn) since May 2016. In response, Cube Entertainment announced on September 13 that they would be terminating their contracts with both artists, citing an inability to "maintain trust" with them.
Despite this, Cube stated they would continue discussions with HyunA and Dawn until further notice. By October 5, it was reported that HyunA and Dawn had confirmed their departures from Cube Entertainment. Cube officially announced HyunA's departure on October 15, followed by Dawn's official departure announcement on November 14.
HIGHLIGHT’s Yong Junhyung
On March 11, 2019, the television program SBS Eight O'Clock News wrongly reported that Yong Junhyung was involved in a group chatroom where musician Jung Joon Young shared hidden camera sex videos with acquaintances. The following day, Junhyung clarified that while he had communicated with Jung, he was not part of the implicated group chatroom.
In April, the Seoul Metropolitan Police stated that Junhyung had been questioned as a witness in the investigation into the Jung Joon Young KakaoTalk chatrooms case. Later in December, KBS News reported that a video Jung had sent to Junhyung showed Jung consensually touching and filming a woman in a Gangnam bar in November 2015, though the video was shared without her consent.
He departed from HIGHLIGHT in 2019 amidst controversy after admitting to watching a video of singer Jung Joon-young and a woman in a bar. While the video was filmed with the woman's consent, it was shared with Junhyung without her consent.
Disclaimer: If you or someone you know is struggling with any form of assault, bullying or sexual offense, please reach out to the authorities or NGO and report it. There are several helplines available for the same.
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