5 K-pop idols who were ‘kicked out’ of their groups: from Momoland’s Daisy and (G)I-dle’s Soojin to 2PM’s Jay Park, Le Sserafim’s Kim Garam and Pentagon’s Dawn
- Hybe ended its contract with Le Sserafim’s Kim Garam in July due to an alleged bullying scandal; same with (G)I-dle’s Soojin, who was part of Cube Entertainment
- 2PM’s Jay Park left the group after his old MySpace profile resurfaced with controversial comments, while Cube terminated Pentagon’s Dawn and Hyuna’s contracts after their dating news
Plenty of K-pop idols leave their groups every year, whether due to contracts ending or busy schedules with other jobs like acting.
However, in some cases – usually after being caught up in a big controversy – idols are forced to leave their groups, with some companies even explicitly stating that they chose to terminate their contracts.
So, which K-pop idols were – rightfully or not – kicked out of their groups?
1. Le Sserafim’s Kim Garam
Though Hybe denied the initial accusations, per multiple sources, more evidence gradually surfaced, pushing the agency and Garam into a corner. Even fans of the group demanded she leave, getting hashtags like #KimGaram_Withdrawal trending and flooding official social media accounts’ comments sections, per K-pop Starz. That’s why Garam’s contract termination has been seen by fans as her simply being kicked out, despite no official statement announcing as much.
2. (G)I-dle’s Soojin
In virtually the exact same way as Garam, Soojin appeared to be kicked out of (G)I-dle after accusations from an alleged schoolmate whose sibling was supposedly bullied, per Soompi. Though Soojin denied the accusations, actress Seo Shin-ae also came out as an alleged victim, leading to the singer taking a hiatus.
A few months later, the company announced Soojin’s official departure from the group – though her contract with the company would remain, per Soompi. Meanwhile, the flood of accusations had also led to a police investigation, which concluded that the original accusers were not guilty of spreading false information, and thus, Soojin’s contract was officially terminated by Cube.