Some K-Pop idols go on to promote for a long time, and fans are constantly updated with what they're up to. But these 5 K-Pop acts disappeared without a trace, and fans have no idea where they are. Have you heard of them?
1. Piggy Dolls
Back in 2011, a three-member girl group called Piggy Dolls debuted with a unique concept - instead of fitting the standard of being skinny, these girls were all thick. They were all talented singers and their debut song "Trend" spoke about loving themselves. The song had iconic lyrics such as, "My body is voluptuous, my face is good looking."
They wanted to promote self-love, and that they did. They ended up garnering a fan base thanks to their message but was also slammed by netizens due to their looks. After a few months, they had a comeback with "Hakuna Matata". Despite the initial anticipation, fans were let down after seeing the girls had slimmed down tremendously, losing 113 pounds as a group. People were upset, as it seemed that the girls had turned away from them. The girls revealed on Yu Hui Yeol's Sketchbook that they gained confidence from dieting, but was turned away by fans.
Piggy Dolls was put on a hiatus for a year before coming back with "Ordinary Girl", a song that spoke about being proud of yourself despite being ordinary. The comeback was a flop, and people were upset that all of the original members were replaced by new girls who were skinnier and fit the Korean beauty standards more. After the failure of the group, Piggy Dolls disbanded. No one knows where they are now.
2. Ori
In 2009, a 14-year-old soloist named Ori made her debut on KBS's "Music Bank". People hated her debut stage, and it was even dubbed as the "Worst Debut Stage of All-Time". Her stage name, Ori, comes from her Japanese name, Tanaka Sori, but people started spreading a rumor that her name comes from the phrase "mos-saeng-gin ori", which means "ugly duckling".
Ori was a victim of bullying not just in Korea, but internationally too, as the Hallyu Wave had just started hitting other countries at the time. People ridiculed her for her visuals and an apparent lack of talent. Many also compared her skills to IU, who had just debuted at the time. They accused Ori of having connections and being a daughter of a broadcasting network president, claiming that's the only reason she made her debut.
After Ori disappeared, people were still determined to figure out where Ori went. Netizens started a rumor that Girls' Day's Minah was Ori, and that she went through cosmetic procedures to be able to debut again. Dream T Entertainment had to release a statement that Minah was not Ori after the idol was constantly asked about it in interviews.
In an interview almost 10 years after her one and only stage, Ori revealed that after reading all the negative comments from her debut stage, she was so hurt and chose to give up on her dream of music and left the entertainment industry altogether.
3. Minyoung
Minyoung was a former JYP Entertainment and was originally meant to debut in 6MIX, a JYP Entertainment girl group that never debuted. The line-up included now TWICE members Jihyo, Jeongyeon, Nayeon, and Sana. The group allegedly never debuted after Lena, a member of the 6MIX line-up, left the company. The agency then decided to form a reality survival show with Mnet called "SIXTEEN", and Minyoung was a contestant.
Fans believed that Minyoung would end up making the debut line-up, and JYP already had plans of debuting her anyway. Sadly, she placed 10th overall, and she didn't end up debuting with TWICE. She ended up leaving the company after. Since then, fans have been unable to find any updates on her. Fans speculate that she moved back to the United States and enrolled in a college of arts. This news is not confirmed.
4. Byungho of 24K
24K debuted in 2012. Park Byungho, the rapper and lead dancer, went on a hiatus early in the group's career due to chronic back pain. During his hiatus, netizens allegedly found photos of Byunho on Facebook. The photos were said to be of him with his wife and his child. Fans say that despite having just debuted, Byungho married a woman named Ms. Yoo only a month after his debut.
24K's agency released a statement that they were not aware he was married, and they apparently could not reach him at all during his hiatus. He ended up leaving the group to focus on his family. Since leaving the group, he has successfully avoided the spotlight. Fans of 24K were supportive of Byungho and respected his privacy. To this day, fans have not leaked any photos of his family to the public.
5. G.Na
G.Na debuted under Cube Entertainment as a soloist and was an instant hit, even collaborating with Rain and HyunA during her career. In March of 2016, however, G.Na was wrapped up in a prostitution scandal. She was allegedly given thousands of dollars to have a sexual relationship with a Korean-American CEO. She ended up not renewing her contract with Cube Entertainment,
Since then, she went on a hiatus and has never been heard. Her last social media post was in September of 2018.
Is there any other K-Pop artists who mysteriously vanished?