Two of K-pop's trending starlets are taking a break after experiencing health issues.
Both EXID's Hani (Ahn Hee Yeon) and Girl's Day's Hyeri (Lee Hye Ri) are taking time to recover their health. Hyeri and Hani are two of Korea's rising stars of young K-pop idols and immensely popular in their own rights. They follow the unfortunate trend of immense popularity in the Korean entertainment world leading to poor health conditions due to overwork.
On Feb. 27, Hani announced a sudden hiatus from broadcast activities due to her waning health. She is looking to return to the industry in the middle of the month, according to Korean media outlets.
Han recently released the duet song "Only One" with fellow EXID member Solji. Hani is near-single-handedly responsible for kickstarting EXID's popularity after the group struggled for years; a video of her performing their song "Up & Down" went viral in 2014, launching the girl group to fame. Since then, she's become a constant on Korean variety shows.
The news of Hani's break from her schedules came shortly before Hyeri was rushed to the hospital earlier this week after developing a fever. On March 6, the Girl's Day member was diagnosed with meningitis. She is expected to leave the hospital on March 10, according to a company rep.
Like Hani, Hyeri is a popular star; she saw immense growth in popularity following her appearance on the popular tvN drama "Answer Me 1988" after rising to fame during a special of the popular variety show, "Real Men."
Tamar Herman is a multi-media journalist and the co-founder of KultScene. She is a freelance writer and copy editor, and has written for MTV Iggy, Noisey and Paste Magazine.
