You never know what life throws at you. Even while preparing for something important, one random event can bring that all tumbling down. This happens in the music industry as well, with scandals popping here and there with numerous groups. Here are some K-pop scandals that ended up hurting a group of music acts' comebacks.
1. AB6IX
Back in June 2020, former AB6IX member Lim Youngmin was found guilty of driving under the influence, which led him to get his license revoked. Initially, Lim Youngmin was meant just to halt their activities, but he ultimately ended up leaving the group. The group was scheduled to release a new album on June 8, but it had to be postponed to June 29 to reorganize everything following his departure.
2. Stray Kids
In October 2019, JYP Entertainment shocked fans when they announced Woojin would be leaving Stray Kids for unspecified personal reasons. No one had seen it coming, as there were no indications that Woojin was going through something or that he had any plans of leaving the music industry. Du to his departure, Stray Kid''s had to postpone the release of their mini-album "Clé: LEVANTER" from November 25 to December 9.
3. Triple H
In August 2018, HyunA and Dawn revealed that they were in a relationship, despite their company, CUBE Entertainment, denying the news. The two at the time were members of the trio Triple H, alongside PENTAGON's Hui. During the time of the news, Triple H was scheduled to promote the song "Retro Future" on music shows. Though they did perform some shows, the scandal had gotten so big that they had to cut their promotions short. The couple ended up leaving CUBE Entertainment after.
4. EXO
Former EXO-M leader Kris had left the group while they were still promoting their song "Overdose." Due to him leaving the group, EXO had to reorganize the song and choreography to suit eleven members. The members themselves appeared shocked at the departure, with Osen saying they spoke to Suho backstage of M!Countdown during the situation and claiming the member called Kris irresponsible and that he did not consider EXO. Former member (though a member of EXO at the time) Tao shared a post to his Instagram in Chinese apparently shading Kris and repeatedly saying that EXO is eleven members.
At the time, EXO was slated to headline their first tour a week after his departure, and many had wondered if the term would still push through after losing a member. In the end, they decided to push through with their first concert.
5. AOA
In 2016, AOA member Seolhyun and former AOA member Jimin were under fire for their lack of basic historical knowledge. In a variety show, the two had to name several important historical figures. The two were unable to name An Jung Geun, one of the most important Korean historical figures who is famous for fighting for Korean independence from Japanese occupation during the way. Jung Geun is also known as the one who assassinated former Resident-General of Korea and Japanese statesman. The two were stuck on who it was and ended up having to use their phones to search.
When the group had a comeback with "Good Luck," soon after, Seolhyun and Jimin apologized during the showcase. People did not accept it, however. The backlash they received was so bad; they had to end promotions for the song abruptly.
6. Lee Hi and B.I
In June 2019, B.I was embroiled in a drug scandal after it was revealed a drug dealer had delivered drugs to B.I. The dealer allegedly claimed that they took the drugs together. At the time, B.I was promoting Lee Hi's new song "NO ONE", as he had featured on the song. Following the scandal, he dropped out of his group iKON and left the company. She ended up having to promote the song alone for the rest of her promotional period. Fans note that it appeared Lee Hi looked sad and not as energetic as her prior stages, and many speculate it's due to the B.I drug scandal.
7. Super Junior
While Super Junior was promoting "Black Suit," it was revealed that Siwon's French Bulldog had bitten a woman in his apartment complex, which caused her to die of blood poisoning. At the time, Siwon was partaking in his military service and left the dog in the care of his family. Though he apologized for the incident - and the family of the deceased accepted the apology - netizens slammed him for being an irresponsible dog parent. Because of that, Siwon withdrew from every scheduled broadcast appearances and had stopped promoting "Black Suit" with the group.
