Ten days after Heeseung's withdrawal... His profile still lists him as an ENHYPHEN member → Fans stage truck protests [Star Issue]

It has been ten days since the announcement of ENHYPEN member Heeseung's withdrawal, but controversy has not ceased due to the agency's inadequate aftercare and the fierce backlash from fans.

As of the 20th, ENHYPEN's profile on major portal sites still lists Heeseung as a member. Although the agency BelievLab officially confirmed Heeseung's withdrawal and the transition to a six-member lineup on the 10th, the information has not been updated.

Collective actions by fans are also continuing. Some fans are staging truck protests near the HYBE headquarters in Seoul Yongsan-gu, demanding the revocation of Heeseung's withdrawal. The protest trucks bore slogans such as "Withdraw the official statement," "Heeseung should be with ENHYPEN," and "ENHYPEN is always seven." Fans say they support Heeseung's individual activities but cannot accept the decision for him to leave the team.

Earlier, BelievLab announced Heeseung's withdrawal from ENHYPEN, saying, "We had in-depth conversations about each member's envisioned future and the team's direction, and during that process confirmed the clarity of Heeseung's musical aspirations and decided to respect that."

Heeseung also expressed in a handwritten letter, "After much deliberation over a long time, I made a big decision to follow the direction proposed by the company in order to approach ENGENE (the fandom name) in a better way."

Meanwhile, ENHYPEN was formed through Mnet's 2020 survival show "I-LAND." After debut, they gained global popularity with hits such as "Bite Me" and "Polaroid Love," and last year they became their first triple million-seller with their second full-length album and swept the grand prizes at major award ceremonies.

Reporter Choi Hye-jin [email protected]