5 K-Pop Groups Who Nearly Disbanded Due To Difficult Situations

K-Pop groups have to endure many stressful and difficult situations in their careers. Some groups have even considered disbanding due to their circumstances. Here’s a list of a few K-pop groups who nearly disbanded due to difficult situations.

1. BTS

At the 2018 MAMA, Jin made a shocking statement when he revealed that BTS considered disbanding that year due to the difficulties they were facing.

In 2020, some of the members came out and opened up about why they considered disbanding in 2018. Suga felt that it was because of all the doubts and demands in their careers at that point.

I think it’s because things got really hard at the start of the year. There were a lot of things to think about at the time, and there was a lot of doubt about this work. That was on all our minds that year since this job constantly demands that you be on a roller coaster ride. It turned out to be a year where we could reflect on ourselves. That’s what I think.

— Suga

2. VICTON

Before 2019, VICTON was a relatively unknown group and was a group that nearly disbanded due to their popularity not growing. However, the group gained much attention after members Byungchan and Seungwoo participated in Produce X 101. This helped the group gain some attention, and the group became more well-known domestically and worldwide.

Before they gained this attention, the members of VICTON were struggling a lot. Byungchan even once considered running away from everything due to how stressed he was.

I really wanted to give up and run away, but I felt so sorry. But… It was so hard. It was so hard that I wanted to run away but I couldn’t because of the members, my family, the fans. I just couldn’t. I was just waiting and waiting for us to have a comeback, it was so hard waiting during that period.

— Byungchan

3. EXID

EXID was on the verge of disbandment before Hani‘s fancam of “Up & Down” gained massive attention. This fancam single-handedly saved the group from potential disbandment, as EXID gained much attention after this fancam went viral.

4. BIGBANG

In 2011, BIGBANG were approaching their 5th year together and felt their bond wasn’t as strong as before. 2011 was also the year where a lot of the BIGBANG members got involved in scandals. Daesung was involved in a car accident where a motorcyclist died. While Daesung was cleared of charges, he had to take some time away from the entertainment industry to reflect on himself.

In 2011, G-Dragon tested positive for marijuana in a drug test. While G-Dragon stated that he didn’t remember taking a marijuana cigarette, he still received backlash from netizens.

However, it was because of these scandals that BIGBANG didn’t end up disbanding. These incidents helped make the bond between the members stronger and made them realize how much they mean to each other.

5. NU’EST

NU’EST was on the brink of disbandment until a few of their members participated in Produce 101 Season 2.

All the members who participated in the show gained massive popularity and helped NU’EST’s popularity skyrocket. This newfound popularity helped NU’EST from disbanding… for a short while. In March 2022, following Pledis Entertainment’s acquisition by HYBE, the group officially disbanded.