It’s been a difficult week for K-Pop fans. On top of all of the chaos surrounding the feud between HYBE Labels and ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin, there have been multiple girl groups that have announced their disbandment, some of which were more surprising than others.
On April 22, FNC Entertainment announced the disbandment of Cherry Bullet. Four members — Haeyoon, Jiwon, Remi, and May — decided to end their contracts, while the other three — Yuju, Bora, and Chaerin — decided to stay with the label to pursue solo activities. The news was quite sudden and unexpected for fans, many of whom are still reeling from the announcement.
Hello this is FNC Entertainment. First, we would like to thank everyone who has loved and supported Cherry Bullet. We are here to you inform you about future activities for the group.
After long discussion, the agency and Cherry Bullet, we have decided to officially end activities. While Haeyoon, Jiwon, Remi, and May have ended their contracts, members Yuju, Bora, and Chaerin will stay with FNC Entertainment and continue solo activities.
We apologize for the sudden news to the fans who have supported Cherry Bullet. We will always remember the love and support you have given the members. We hope you continue supporting the members in starting a new path. Thank you.
— FNC Entertainment
While Kep1er was planned to be a temporary girl group from the beginning, the announcement of their official disbandment date was still upsetting to their fans. There was some hope that they might have an extension to their group contract, but sadly, their disbandment is set to happen as planned.
Two days ago, an exclusive report from Star News stated that the members will return to their respective agencies in July 2024, with a comeback and a concert scheduled as their last activities together before then.
Just yesterday, Sohee of ALICE shared that she would be marrying her boyfriend — a businessman 15 years her senior — and retiring from the entertainment industry.
While this isn’t a confirmation that ALICE is disbanding, their last comeback — the album Show Down — was released a year ago, with little activity from the members in recent times. Sohee is also arguably the most well-known member of the group, so her departure is a big blow.
Finally, n.CH Entertainment‘s group NATURE announced their disbandment yesterday. Fans have been worried for a while that the girl group was at risk of disbanding, and their concerns have sadly been confirmed. Haru revealed that she has become a hostess, which spurred the official announcement from their label.
Hello, this is n.CH Entertainment.
First of all, we would like to thank the fans for their endless love, support, and interest in NATURE. We would like to share our official position regarding NATURE’s activities.
NATURE, who has been working hard for years since their debut and received lots of love from their fans, is officially ending their group activities.
To all of the fans who were waiting for NATURE’s comeback, we would like to sincerely apologize for this news.
After lengthy discussions and consideration, the company and the members have decided to end group activities and go our separate ways. In addition, even though NATURE’s group activities have concluded, Sohee will stay with the company and continue her individual activities such as acting and music.
Thank you to everyone who has shown their love and support and we hope you continue to support and encourage the future activities of each NATURE member in the future.
Thank you.
— n.CH Entertainment
Korean netizens reacted to the multiple disbandments with sorrowful acceptance.
“It’s sad ah…” “It’s sad.” “But is it better than not doing any activities and keeping them with you?” “Small and medium-sized companies are just falling apart. They don’t have any money.” “ㅠㅠ Before the coronavirus, groups like this would have been going around and doing activities.” “If you don’t want to do anything, it’s better to release them… They have to find a different way.” “It might be better to switch while they’re young.”
Hopefully this would be a trend that continues into the following days.
