6 K-pop Idols Who Were Meant to Debut in Other Groups

Before a K-pop group makes their debut, its lineup of members undergoes several changes as companies add and remove trainees to find the perfect mix of members. Because of this, numerous of the idols we know today may have trained initially to be part of a different group than the one they are in now!

With that, here are some of the K-pop idols who were meant to debut in other groups!

1. SHINee Taemin

As SHINee's youngest member, Taemin wasn't sure he would make his debut as he was still young at the time and was scared of debuting. He was especially nervous about debuting with a "younger boyfriend" concept with SHINee, which made him want to debut with EXO. Taemin even stated that he wondered what his career would be like had he debuted with EXO instead.

2. Kep1er Kim Chaehyun

Before Kim Chaehyun competed on the Mnet survival program "Girls Planet 999" and subsequently debuted as a member of Kep1er, she was once a trainee under SM Entertainment for several years. In fact, she even trained with aespa members and friends Winter, Karina, and Ningning. Because of this, she was presumed to be a possible group member. However, she didn't make the final lineup and left the company after.

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3. WINNER Song Mino

Before making his debut with WINNER, Song Mino was actually part of Block B's original five-member lineup! He was even close to making his debut with the group. However, due to issues with his contract with Block B's company at the time, he was unable to debut with the group. Fortunately, he ended up joining YG Entertainment and debuting with WINNER!

4. TWICE Chaeyoung

Chaeyoung had once revealed in the past that she was initially part of a trainee group that would make its debut after 6MIX's, an already formed girl group that consisted of TWICE members Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Sana. However, 6MIX's debut was eventually canceled, which led to JYP Entertainment launching the show "SIXTEEN" with Chaeyoung joining. If Chaeyoung didn't join the show, it is possible she would have debuted with ITZY!

5. PENTAGON Jinho

Before joining Cube Entertainment, PENTAGON Jinho was a well-known trainee at SM Entertainment and a member of SM The Ballad. Although many thought he was in EXO's lineup as the 13th member, he had revealed that he was actually preparing to make his debut with another group before EXO following SHINee. But after the plans fell through, he left SM Entertainment.

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6. ITZY Yuna

When JYP Entertainment first released ITZY's pre-debut profile photos, Yuna's photo was not included. Instead, solo artist Jeon Somi was. It is widely believed that Jeon Somi was meant to debut with ITZY, but before she could, she left JYP Entertainment. The company most likely planned for the group to be five members, so they included Yuna in the debut lineup.

However, it is also likely that Yuna would have debuted with NMIXX if Jeon Somi debuted with ITZY, as she is closer to the NMIXX members' age group.

What do you think it would have been like if these idols debuted in another group?

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Written by Robyn Joan