Ex-X1 Member Who Joined Survival Show for the 4th Time Draws Debate: 'It's A Shame...'

THIS popular K-pop idol sparks discussion for joining the 4th survival show after "failed" re-debut. Should he give up on becoming an idol?

On Sept. 29, Lee Hangyul was officially introduced as one of the contestants for iQIYI x SBS's Chinese-Korean survival show, "Starlight Boys" set to air in October.

Ahead of the program, online netters took to a web forum to recall the time he talked about joining multiple survival programs and lamenting when would be the last one.

He started joining audition shows in 2017 with KBS's "The Unit." At the time, he was already an IM member who debuted under MBK. In 2019, he then re-debuted as an X1 member after participating in Mnet's "Produce x 101."

Hangyul enjoyed brief popularity until they were dissolved later in 2020. He continued under H&D, a sub-unit created with ex-X1 Dohyon before they joined PocketDol Studio's new boy group, BAE173.

Unfortunately, the team didn't reach stardom and had only limited activities, so they were forced to join JTBC's "Peak Time" last year for publicity.

READ ALSO: BAE173 Hangyul Shares His Thoughts on 'Produce' Series Scandal and X1's Disbandment

Seeing how he's trying to build his name by joining his fourth survival show, K-pop fans were saddened by this and blamed his label for not expanding his career in another field, or letting him go for better opportunities.

K-Netz expressed regrets as Hangyul is obviously not lacking in both skills and visuals, and some suggested he debut as an actor instead, which is less saturated than the idol industry.

Here are some of the comments:

• "This kid is good at both skills and looks, but it's a shame."
• "It's not even his fault, but his time was wasted."
• "Hangyul, why life is so harsh on you? This kind of friend deserves to be doing well."
• "Again, it's a lack of marketing skills to treat such a rare and talented person like this."
• "If the group is having a hard time right now, it would be okay for him to go into acting, but with that kind of visuals, it's too much to do a survival show four times. Do you think you'll have any mental strength left after that?"

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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz