HYBE CEO Park Jiwon has personally denied all rumors of BTS potentially disbanding and spoke up about the group’s future plans.
The past day has been tumultuous at best. It started with the reveal of BTS’s upcoming second chapter, where they will focus more on solo activities, followed by a late-night statement from HYBE reiterating that the group was not going on hiatus, but a steep drop in HYBE’s stock prices. Now, HYBE CEO Park Jiwon sent out an internal email to all HYBE employees to once again clarify what is happening with BTS’s situation.
I am sending out this email to everyone as you may be hearing various different reactions outside the company, so this will be our clear explanation.
Through the BTS Festa Dinner Party, BTS conveyed their desire to expand the range of their activities by combining group activities and individual activities for the continued growth and maturation of the group. Portions of the video are being blown out of proportion and interpreted incorrectly, leading to the spreading of false information.
— Park Jiwon
Park Jiwon clearly shut down the rumor of disbandment, saying there wasn’t a single consideration of that possibility.
BTS is not even considering disbanding the team at all, and there is nothing going on regarding any process of disbanding the group.
— Park Jiwon
He continued, reiterating that their wishes of growing individually do not mean they are halting group activities.
BTS’s message of taking a break from group activities [to focus on individual activities] does not mean they will be completely stopping [group] activities. The scope of their activities will be carried out in a way that has more variety, as we plan to carry out both team activities and individual activities together. This will provide them the opportunity to leap forward and grow as artists.
— Park Jiwon
Finally, Park Jiwon mentioned the individual activities for the members, for which the plans have already been in the works.
[The plans for the individual activities] have already been set up or are currently in the works. They will be announced soon, and there will be a synergistic effect between the individual activities and the team activities.
In the case of group activities, activities for the PROOF album are already in full swing and additional group activities are in the process of being set up.
BTS has had long-term breaks in the past before, and through this period of individual activities, each member will be able to have their own break and individual activities.
Both the artist and the company aim to further establish BTS as a 21st century pop icon through the diversification of their activities.
— Park Jiwon
