1.
Eunjin- D.I.A
Ahn Eunjin is one of the original members of DIA and debuted in 2015 as the group's
lead dancer.
However, after 3 years with DIA, she officially announced her departure from the group in
2018.
In her handwriting letter to fans, she cited health issues and difficulties in following
Dia’s schedule as the main reason for her leaving.
Besides, she also said she could not bear the stresses and strains.
Ahn Eunjin mentioned that she could not get rid of the feelings of being overpowered and
afraid when she was a DIA member.
And some parts inside of her felt disappointed about herself because she believed that she
was the main cause of the disappointments from those who support DIA.
Furthermore, Eunjin also shared that she had undergone some mental health treatment to
improve the situation, however, against the expectation, there was no improvement and
she still felt inferior and guilty when being a part of DIA.
Therefore, she decided to choose another path for her and DIA’s sake.
After two years of retirement from Kpop, she returned to screens as a live-streamer – or
broadcast jockey, and the main content she offered was Q&As with her fans.
Unfortunately, after only a short time, she had to quit being a BJ after facing a lot
of fastidious comments from netizens regarding her controversial comments about DIA during
the livestream "The Talking broadcast of Idol DIA Eunjin" on 11th January 2021.
And now the only platform she's using is Youtube.
2.
ChoA - AOA
ChoA once made her fans shook to the root when she announced she would be leaving AOA
in 2017 - aka the most successful period of the group.
She explained that she had been suffering from insomnia and depression and that for
two years she had been trying to take things easy.
Besides, ChoA shared that she had tried using medication to improve her mental health, but
there was no use.
ChoA shared in a letter to fans: “Although I was crying in my heart, I had to look happy.
This happened repeatedly, and the more I forced myself, the more I found myself becoming sick.
To treat my insomnia and depression, I tried taking medication and started decreasing my
work two years ago.
However, because the problem didn’t stem from being tired, I ended up stopping all
of my activities.“
This letter followed after Choa had a hiatus when the group was releasing their first studio
album Angel's Knock.
Facing various types of stress and the pressure of always being happy and gorgeous, ChoA's
eventually collapsed as a result.
After a three-year hiatus from the entertainment industry, ChoA had recorded many songs.
According to an official report, on August 21, 2020, she moved to Great M Entertainment.
Surprisingly, in March 2022, it was announced that Choa is preparing to release a single
titled "Yesterday" on April 9, 2022.
3.
Wonho - MonstaX
So it all started with Wonho being embroiled in a nasty drug scandal, where allegations
of him using cannabis surfaced.
He was also rumored by actress Jung Da Eun to have several bad debts.
Wonho’s agency, Starship Entertainment, rejected Jung’s accusation that the male
idol owed her money and Wonho himself also did refuse the allegations of him smoking
marijuana, but the investigations were still ongoing.
As a result, Wonho and MonstaX had been facing a lot of criticism and undergoing many malicious
comments from netizens.
Therefore, as Wonho just couldn't bear the pressure from the press as well as didn't
want to tarnish MonstaX's reputation, he eventually posted a handwritten letter in October 2019,
informing fans that he’ll be leaving MonstaX.
Wonho sadly wrote in his letter: “The members have nothing to do with me...They don’t
deserve to get hurt because of me”
Starship then announced Wonho’s exit from the group.
Their statement claimed that Wonho's decision to leave was due to controversies involving
his alleged debt to Jung Da Eun and his run-in with the law.
In mid-2020, Wonho was cleared of all the allegations after a thorough investigation.
However, he decided not to return to MonstaX and focused on his solo career.
4.
Tao - EXO
Tao, The former member of EXO, including its EXO-M Chinese subunit, is a definition of
resilience and talent as the top idol in Kpop.
However, Tao suddenly decided to leave EXO on March 15, 2018, due to his health issues
with heaps of rumors of underpayment, being exploited and receiving poor medical care.
In detail, Tao left a few months after EXO's comeback with 'Call Me Baby' due to injuries.
Many fans believed that he was taking a break or just a hiatus when he didn't show up at
concerts or interviews.
However, soon after his disappearance, netizens found out that he has a badly injured leg
yet SM still made him perform without properly taking care of Tao's injuries.
After a few months of staying with his father in China, Tao officially left EXO in March
due to being overworked and underpaid.
In a heartfelt letter from Tao‘s father, he shared his reasons to bring his son home
and the extent of Tao's leg injury, “whenever he does a flip during a performance, I'll
be worried to no end and I was afraid that his injuries would only worsen".
Furthermore, Tao’s father cites that the lack of support from SM in terms of Tao’s
recovery from sustained injuries has compromised him greatly, thus he believes that leaving
the group will serve the best for Tao.
Tao used to say that he was considering leaving though he didn't want to, and though he loved
his fans too much to hurt them, he still had to do what should be done.
Upon leaving EXO, which was accompanied by a prolonged negative media reception owing
to a lawsuit against EXO and SM Entertainment, Tao started his solo career in China with
the stage name Z.Tao, which has brought him affluence and influence as the top China star
till nowadays.
5.
Nam Tae Hyun - Winner
In November 2016, YG Entertainment announced Nam Tae Hyun’s withdrawal from Winner, claiming
that he was seeking treatment for “mental health issues.”
In 2018, Tae Hyun opened up about why he had been unhappy before leaving YG Entertainment.
He sat down for an interview with the newspaper Chosun Ilbo and explained, “I didn’t leave
on bad terms.
I wanted to live as myself, in my own style.”
In the interview, Taehyun shared that in those days he seem to be stressed about everything,
he had no freedom and privacy.
Tae Huyn sadly shared that it seemed everything in his life was watched over by some person.
He admitted that he received no joy from working on music, “It felt like a survival game,”
“All I worried about was coming up with catchy lyrics or an addictive hook that would
fit the group’s style.
I wasn’t happy at all.”
Tae Hyun also remarked that WINNER and himself have differences in musical orientation.
Therefore, he chose to depart.
At present, Taehyun is managed by P&B Entertainment.
He has been with the agency since 2019.
He is currently a member of the four-piece rock band called South Club and focuses mainly
on composing music.
6.
Choi Yunjin - TINT
Although this case is not very similar to the above ones since Yunjin did not intentionally
leave her group but left due to her group disbandment, I still decided to include her
in the list because I see the pressure and the efforts of many young talents in her story.
In the interview with Naver, Yunjin said that she once took the bus from her hometown Jeonbok,
Gunsan to Seoul just for the audition when she was only 15.
She explained that her thought of that reckless action was simple, she just wanted to pursue
her dream of becoming a singer.
And to become an idol, she had undergone 3 years as a trainee without any hope or a confirmation
from the company that one day she will become a part of any group.
Eventually, in 2013, Yunjin debuted as the visual of TINT.
Unfortunately, even though TINT has worked hard to promote themselves to the public and
released 2 music products, they remained anonymous to the public.
Therefore, TINT gradually fell behind and ended up disbanding in 2015.
Besides, Yunjin revealed that it's not easy for young girls to rise to stardom no matter
how hard they try because the Kpop industry is known for its harshness, high rejection,
and even temptations.
On her Youtube video, Yunjin sadly shared "Many others are trying to make their dreams
come true.
I used to be like that, but now I'm chasing reality."
After leaving the Kpop industry, Yunjin opened a small coffeeshop with her best friend in
elementary school.
So, which departure makes you feel the most regret?
If given the choice, would you rather be a Kpop idol living in limelight all the time
or an ordinary person with a leisurely life?