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For Kingmakers, K-pop group KINGDOM’s fandom, the sudden news of member Chiwoo leaving the group hit like a bolt of lightning. On May 25, GF Entertainment announced that Guk Seung-jun, known as Chiwoo, had terminated his contract with the agency due to personal reasons.
The agency added that the group would henceforth be promoted as a six-member outfit. An excerpt from the statement read:
“We would like to inform you of our official position on Kingdom's future plans. This is to inform you that KINGDOM member CHIWOO has terminated his exclusive contract due to personal reasons and has withdrawn from the group. We apologize for causing concern to many people including fans with the sudden news."
Additionally, the agency added that the upcoming fansign event for Chiwoo would also be canceled and a refund would be provided to fans who won the youngest member's individual fansign:
"The fan signing event scheduled for Friday and Sunday will be held on the six person system. The record label will give a full refund to the fans who won the private video call signing event of Chiwoo. Thank you.”
The news led to a flood of concerned messages. Kingmakers even added “Thank you" to their Twitter usernames, while they collectively tried to make sense of the issue.
Fans pour in wishes as KINGDOM’s Chiwoo announces sudden exit from group
On May 25, K-pop group KINGDOM’s agency GF Entertainment announced that the youngest member, Chiwoo, terminated his contract and left the group. The statement cited “personal reasons” without divulging any details.
A few hours before the announcement hit, Kingmakers were excited about the new fansign event and were notified of the members being active on Weverse.
The statement caught the fandom off guard. Fans of the group began creating archives of the youngest member in case the agency decided to delete his posts.
Moreover, the idol had posted a photo, sharing that he was hanging out with member JAHAN, and a post saying:
“My eyes opened up early hehe”
The timing of the post left fans more concerned about the contract termination. Many stressed on the abrupt notice, leading to increased worries about the idol. Some fans wrote heartfelt letters promising Guk Seung-jun that his “existence will never be forgotten” but it was underlined with worries over the sudden news.
Meanwhile, fans also demanded that the agency postpone the fansign event as they believed both fans and the members needed enough time to process the news.
Some fans also talked about the storyline that the Ascension group had created. It revolved around seven kings and their seven kingdoms. With the youngest member out of the group, concerns for the rest were also on fans’ minds.
The Excalibur group debuted with the album History of Kingdom: Part I on February 18 last year. The group unarguably debuted with an unforgettable and unique concept in the K-pop industry and was even ranked No. 1 on RollingStone’s The 10 Best K-pop Debuts of 2021 list.
Henceforth, the group will be promoted with six members - Dann, Arthur, Mujin, Louis, Ivan, and Jahan.
