Only 8 K-Pop Groups That Debuted Seven Years Ago Haven’t Disbanded

With the K-Pop industry being as competitive as it is, many groups that debut each year disband or become inactive for various reasons outside their control.

In 2012, 51 different groups debuted, but only eight are still actively promoting.

1. ASTRO

ASTRO made their debut on February 23, 2016, with “Hide & Seek.”

The group have remained active throughout the years while pursuing solo endeavors and subunit projects. Their most recent group comeback was in 2022 with “Candy Sugar Pop.”

2. BLACKPINK

BLACKPINK debuted on August 8, with “Whistle” and “Boombayah.”

While the group have only released two full albums, they have remained active in other ways. Their most recent release, Born Pink, was released before their world tour, which is set to end in August 2023.

3. KNK

KNK made their debut in March 2016 with “Knock.”

Originally a five-membered group, three former members have departed since their debut — Youjin in 2018, Seoham in 2021, and Heejun in 2022. Dongwon was added to the group in 2018.  Their most recent release was in September 2020.

4. NCT

SM Entertainment‘s massive group NCT made their debut in April 2016 with the release of NCT U’s “The 7th Sense.”

Two more subunits would go on to debut in 2016 — NCT 127 and NCT DREAM. The group currently consists of twenty-two members and two more debuted subunits, WAYV and NCT DoJaeJung.

5. PENTAGON

PENTAGON debuted on October 17 with “Gorilla.”

Originally a ten-member group, PENTAGON’s line-up is nine members following DAWN‘s departure in 2018. While the group have not released a Korean album since January 2022, there has been a surge in interest following Hui‘s appearance on the survival show Boys Planet.

6. SF9

SF9 debuted on October 5, 2016, with the release of “Fanfare.”

Amid different members’ military enlistments, SF9 have remained active with their most recent release dropping on January 9, 2023.

7. WJSN

WJSN (also known as Cosmic Girls) debuted on February 16, 2016, with “Mo Mo Mo” and “Catch Me.”

WJSN‘s current member line-up consists of nine members following the departure of Xuanyi, Cheng Xiao, and Meiqi. Following their win on Queendom 2, WJSN released their latest single album, Sequence.

8. VICTON

VICTON debuted in November 2016 with “I’m Fine” and “What Time Is It Now?”

Former member Chan departed from the group in 2022, and in April 2023 it was announced that Hanse, Byungchan, and Subin would not renew their contracts with IST Entertainment. There has been no mention of the group officially disbanding.

Of the fifty-one groups, some have remained inactive but recently have planned activities that have not yet taken place, like 9MUSES A and MASC (now known as SEVENUS).

Check out which groups from 2012 are still active below!

Only 7 K-Pop Groups That Debuted 11 Years Ago Haven’t Disbanded