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

Sep 28 , 2022

(G)I-dle’s Soojin, 2PM’s Jay Park, Le Sserafim’s Kim Garam, and Momoland’s Daisy. Photos: @gidle_soojin, @jparkitrighthere, @kimgaramkr, @daisiesforyu/Instagram

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

Le Sserafim’s Kim Garam was put on hiatus in May before her contract was officially terminated in July. Photo: @le_sserafim/Instagram

The most recent case of a member allegedly being thrown out was Le Sserafim’s Kim Garam, who faced countless school bullying accusations. She went on hiatus in May, then in July, Hybe and Source Music announced that her contract had been terminated and she would officially leave the group – despite rumours swirling that she’d come back.

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.

Interestingly, the ex-member seemingly took matters into her own hands after leaving, uploading a statement to her friend’s Instagram, per Soompi. She firmly denied any claims of bullying others and accusations, including smoking and drinking. Hybe then released a short statement claiming “further comments are inappropriate” from its side, which has led to Garam’s current whereabouts being unknown.

2. (G)I-dle’s Soojin

Former (G)I-dle member Soojin was accused of bullying during her school days. Photo: Cube Entertainment

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.

Girl group (G)I-dle perform on stage during the 9th Gaon Chart K-pop Awards in January 2020, in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Getty Images

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.

3. 2PM’s Jay Park

Jay Park is now known as a famous soloist though he initially debuted with 2PM. Photo: @moresojuplease/Instagram