A Whopping 15 K-Pop Groups Have Lost Members In 2022

While it’s not unusual for a couple of K-Pop groups to lose one or more members in any given year, 2022 has been particularly rough for a lot of groups. From scandals to contract expirations to health complications, there seem to have been more than usual the number of idols to leave their groups in the past 10 months. Here are all 15 groups that have lost one or more members in 2022.

1. Secret Number

Secret number was the first to lose a member this year when Denise departed the group in February. Her contract with Vine Entertainment had ended, and she decided to leave the group instead of renewing.

2. Apink

After 11 years with the group, Naeun decided to leave Apink in April of this year after she ended her contract with IST Entertainment last year and signed with YG Entertainment as an actress instead.

3. Bandage

Another group to lose a member in April was Bandage. Hyeongbin, the bassist and maknae of Bandage, decided to leave the band after realizing that the members had different ideas for their path forward in music.

4. TO1

TO1 lost several members this year, starting with the departure of Chihoon in April following the cancellation of his contract with Wake One Entertainment. Then in June, Minsu, Jerome, and Woonggi also left TO1, though their exact reasoning is not known, and three new members — Renta, Daigo and Yeojeong — joined after their departure.

5. KINGDOM

Fans of KINGDOM were dismayed to learn in May that Chiwoo would be leaving the group due to “personal circumstances”. Soon afterwards, Hwon was announced to be joining the group and keeping KINGDOM at seven members.

6. OH MY GIRL

Another member departure in May happened when Jiho announced her decision to leave OH MY GIRL. It appears that she wants to refocus her career after spending seven years with the K-Pop group, as she has since signed a contract with P&Studio as an actress.

7. LE SSERAFIM

Arguably one of the biggest shocks this year was the removal of Garam only a few months after LE SSERAFIM debuted back in May. She officially left the group in July after bullying allegations were raised against her, and her current future plans are unknown.

8. BLACKSWAN

July was a big month for members leaving K-Pop groups, and former BLACKSWAN members Judy and Youngheun were among them. They were said to be “graduating” from the group after they both decided they wanted to pursue different paths outside of BLACKSWAN. It also came shortly after two new members, Sriya and Gabi, joined the group.

9. ICHILLIN’

Another member who left their group in July was Sohee when she left ICHILLIN’. It sounds like her future plans didn’t match with where the group was heading, so they decided to part ways amicably.

10. Weeekly

Weeekly also suddenly and shockingly lost a member in July when Jiyoon‘s departure was announced. She had been struggling with her mental health for some time beforehand, and it was decided that it would be best for her to focus on treatment and healing.

11. fromis_9

Lastly in July, another unexpected member departure from a group came when Gyuri announced her decision to leave fromis_9. Her contract with the group’s label ended on July 31, and she decided not to renew.

12. PIXY

Rookie group PIXY took a hard hit in August when it was announced that Ella and Satbyeol would be leaving the group. Both had already been on hiatus for personal health reasons, and it was decided it was best for both of them to focus on getting better. Soon afterwards, new member Rinji was introduced to make PIXY a five-member group.

13. PRECIOUS

In September, PRECIOUS lost three members — Leeseo, Jihyo, and Hanbyeol — after they terminated their contracts with UMI Entertainment. Remaining members EunB and Hanwoom are said to be continuing with PRECIOUS as a duo at this time.

14. VICTON

Just recently earlier this month, VICTON fans were stunned to learn of Heochan being involved in a DUI incident. In order to “not cause further damage” to his groupmates, he decided to leave VICTON due to his actions.

15. LIGHTSUM

Finally, and most recently, Huiyeon and Jian were announced to be leaving LIGHTSUM just two days ago. Exact reasons are not yet known, but label Cube Entertainment stated that they would be reorganizing as a six-member group after “careful discussion”.