Here Are Some of The Biggest Mysteries in K-Pop [Updated 2022]

Though most things in K-pop are reported on with all the facts, there are still some things in the industry that remain a mystery.

Here are some of the biggest mysteries in K-pop that fans still wonder about to this day.

1. Laun Leaving ONF

In 2019, WM Entertainment announced member Laun was leaving the group for personal reasons and terminated his contract with the company.

Personal reasons were never stated. This had shocked fans, as just a week before, he was present with the group for the filming of the Idol Star Athletics Competition. He had also just made his acting debut and was introduced as "ONF's Laun". Even an hour before the announcement of his departure, ONF member E-Tion was holding a V Live.

When the news arose that Laun would be leaving, member J-Us took to the group's fan cafe and revealed that they heard the news the same time WM Entertainment revealed and they were not informed of it prior.

This had caused many to believe that even the ONF members were not informed of Laun's departure. Many have since wondered what was the personal reason that led to his withdrawal. It is still unknown.

2. PRISTIN Disbanding

When PRISTIN debuted, they had a moderately successful debut, gaining popularity for having two former I.O.I members and the majority of the group having competed on "Produce 101".

The group was on a rise, even winning "New Artist Award" at the Seoul Music Awards in 2018, "Rooie Award" in the 2017 Asia Artist Award", and the "Best New Female Artist" award at the 2017 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

Despite the success, the group only had one comeback in 2017 and went on a hiatus. In 2018, they debuted their first sub-unit, PRISTIN V.

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After almost two years of no activities, PLEDIS Entertainment announced PRISTIN would be disbanding. This had shocked many, as the group was relatively popular and they had only had one comeback. Only three members remained signed under the label, with the other seven leaving the company.

During HINAPIA's showcase, former PRISTIN member Yaebin revealed the group was working on a new album, leading many to believe even the members were uninformed of the disbandment until it happened. It is unknown why the group chose to disband.

3. Jessica Leaving Girls' Generation

In 2013, Jessica announced on her personal Weibo account that she was being "forced out" of Girls' Generation. SM Entertainment confirmed the news, saying that Jessica would no longer be part of the group and that Girls' Generation would be promoting as eight members.

Jessica's fashion company, Blanc Group, also released a statement, saying she was made to leave the group by the company and her members.

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There have been numerous rumors surrounding her departure from SM Entertainment. Some say she was forced out of the group after Jessica failed to manage activities as a member of the group and with her fashion brand, with Jessica not putting enough importance to the group.

Some say Jessica had planned to leave the group in 2015 anyway and that her members had planned a goodbye stage for her during their Tokyo Dome Concert.

Rumors also say she had chosen to stay with the group instead but was forced out since her members and the label planned her farewell concert and hiatus plan already. Others note the members of Girls' Generation did not want Jessica as a semi-active member of the group.

None of these were confirmed, and the specifics of her departure are still unknown.

4. Woojin Leaving Stray Kids

In 2019, it was announced that Woojin would be leaving Stray Kids for personal reasons and that his exclusive contract with JYP Entertainment had been terminated. This had shocked many fans as there were no prior signs that Woojin would be leaving the group.

In 2020, leader Bang Chan held a live stream, in which fans believed he was indirectly mentioning Woojin.

During the steam, he was talking about knowing someone who made a mistake and he and the people around him had to face the consequences. He went on to say that if you make a promise with a team, you need to be responsible and keep those promises.

He also added that STAYs, the fans, know what he is talking about.

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As he was talking about being a team and betrayal, fans started speculating that Woojin had done something to break the trust of the group, which led to his removal from Stray Kids.

None of this is unconfirmed. However, many fans believe that the staff members making Bang Chan stop his live stream after the incident is a big enough indicator that it has some truth to it.

5. Produce 101 Rankings

In 2019, Mnet was under fire for rigging the votes of their most popular survival show series "Produce 101". The show's premise claimed that the line-up of the debut group would be selected through fan votes, but investigations showed that the lineup was pre-selected and that the fan votes were manipulated.

The show's producer, Ahn Joon Young, admitted to rigging all four seasons of the show, and he, producer Kim Young Bum, and six other entertainment agency representative were indicted for changes on the grounds of obstruction of business, fraud, and bribery.

This means that all four groups that debuted from the show - I.O.I, Wanna One, IZ*ONE, and X1 - had pre-selected lineups. This led people to wonder what the lineup would be if they went purely by the fan votes. It is unknown who the members of the said line-ups would be, as the results had been rigged to let others debut.

6. NCT 127 Secret Yuta Wanted To Expose in 'Weekly Idol'

During the NCT 127's guest appearance on the variety show "Weekly Idol" Episode 462 in 2020 for their "Kick It" promotions, Yuta and Jaehyun were on a one-one-one diss match.

Wearing their red gloves, the latter told the Japanese member, "Yuta, close the toothpaste," causing the rest of NCT 127 members to yell. Jungwoo even said he could relate to Jaehyun, revealing this habit of Yuta's had been bothersome to the rest.

Yuta, who seemed owned during the match, thought to expose all the members once and for all. He asked first, "Can I keep going?"

He pointed to his members, "Here, among eight of them..." and mumbled something that wasn't captured by camera - and almost instantly, it was as if his members panicked and rushed to him to shut him up, whatever he was going to say.

Johnny said, "He'd better not say anything."

To this day, this NCT 127 secret remains well-kept.

7. The Tea Hyoyeon Spilled to Seohyun

it's been over a decade and we still don't have the slightest idea what Girls' Generation Hyoyeon was telling Seohyun during an event.

In a viral clip, Hyo was whispering to her co-member something, but it was Seohyun's open-mouthed reaction that made their inaudible and undecoded conversation more interesting.

It seems like we can't put this mystery to rest anytime soon.

8. BTS' 'Love Yourself: Tear' 12th Track

Yup, you read that right! The album was supposed to have a 12th track, not 11, and RM himself revealed that it was his favorite track in the album.

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In a live stream, the BTS leader revealed that he worked with his favorite artists with this song, but it was postponed for some reasons he didn't reveal.

"It's sad that I couldn't have it on the album," RM shared.

Do you know other K-pop mysteries? Tell us in the comments!

Written by Alexa Lewis.

KpopStarz owns this article.