4 K-Pop Groups That Lost One (Or More) Members And Suffered For It, According To Fans

It’s always upsetting when a K-Pop idol unexpectedly leaves their group, especially when it’s for seemingly unfair or suspicious reasons. And while sometimes a group can go on fairly normally with their remaining members, others can take a more major hit that ends up heavily impacting their careers. Recently on Reddit, K-Pop fans were asked which groups they think suffered the most from the loss of a member (or members), and these were there top four answers.

1. MOMOLAND

MOMOLAND originally debuted as a seven-member group in 2016, and became a nine-member group when Daisy and Taeha joined in 2017. Sadly, Taeha and Yeonwoo both left the group in 2019, with Daisy following suit in 2020.

Since Daisy and Yeonwoo were arguably two of the most popular members in the group, the loss of them in MOMOLAND was a hard enough hit on its own. Added onto the departure of a third of the group were rumors of contract termination and other suspicious rumors and speculations that made the line-up change even more difficult. The remaining members have spoken openly about the fears they have performing now due to what they faced during these times, which has also sadly impacted their careers.

2. iKON

iKON debuted in 2015 as a seven-member boy group, with B.I working as their leader and the producer of much of their music, including their massive hit “Love Scenario”. Outside of his own group, he also helped in the creation of songs for major K-Pop artists such as BLACKPINK, PSY, Epik High, WINNER, and more.

In 2019, however, he ended up leaving the group after it was reported that he had attempted to purchase drugs in the past and withdrew from iKON for the sake of the other members. Despite this, fans of the group think that they haven’t had the same amount of success as they did when B.I was still part of iKON, since he was such a big part of their music production. B.I, on his own, has also gone on to have a successful solo career thanks to his skills and talent.

3. PENTAGON

PENTAGON debuted in 2016 as a ten-member unit, but it wasn’t until they came out with “Shine” in 2018 that the group really came into the spotlight with the general public. E’Dawn, in particular, received a lot of attention and praise for his charisma on stage, and was arguably one of their most popular members at the time.

Later in 2018, though, he and HyunA were removed from Cube Entertainment after confirmations were released that the two of them were dating, meaning E’Dawn (now known as DAWN) was removed from PENTAGON too. The sudden departure left the group in a shaky position for a while, since the member change happened so soon after their skyrocketing success. And while they still haven’t had a hit as popular as “Shine”, their sales are remaining relatively steady, though some people think they might have continued to become more successful had E’Dawn stayed in the group.

4. MONSTA X

MONSTA X debuted as a seven-member group in 2015 with quite a bit of hype around their name after the members competed on No.Mercy for a spot in the member line-up. Their sales continuously went up with each comeback, and they found a lot of success internationally, even moreso than domestically.

Wonho was, like other idols mentioned earlier, one of the more popular members of MONSTA X, so his sudden departure in 2019 after drug use allegations (that he has since been cleared of) came up against him was met with outrage from many fans. While he has gone on to have a successful solo career, many found it hard to continue to follow MONSTA X after Wonho was removed. MONSTA X has gone on to perform pretty well overall, though some fans are convinced they would have been even more popular had Wonho stayed in the group.