In the KPOP industry, one of the most well known groups is ENHYPEN. The group is owned by Belift Lab, which is under HYBE labels. ENHYPEN consisted of 7 members-Heesung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, Jungwon, and Ni-ki. These members were picked out from a survival show named “I-Land” where participants competed to earn a spot in the group. They debuted in 2020 with their EP Border: Day one.
Although all 7 members worked hard to get to where they are right now, one member, Heesung, had some unfortunate news on March 10th, 2026.
On March 10th, HYBE Labels announced that the member would discontinue his group activities with ENHYPEN. This came as a shock to the whole KPOP community as the announcement came out of seemingly nowhere. HYBE stated that although he would no longer be in ENHYPEN, Heesung would be embarking on his own solo activities still under Belift Lab.
Many fans of the idol were shocked, as the members’ contracts were intended to end in 2027 and Heesung could have chosen to leave then. ENHYPEN fans, also known as ENGENES, are also outraged as the group was still set to headline the Hello Melbourne K-Pop festival at Flemington Racecourse, Victoria, on Saturday, March 14, 2026.
That same afternoon of the announcement at 4 PM KST, the 24 year old idol posted on the Weverse app the official handwritten statement of his departure. Heesung started off his letter noting people’s concern to his departure and also sharing thanks for the past six years of his career. He then explained that, while he would be leaving the group, he would continue to work with the company on future solo projects.
At the time this message was posted fans here in the U.S. were still asleep. Waking up to this news was devastating for many, especially given its sudden nature.
The letter has left many ENGENE’s a bit skeptical about the reason for Heesung’s departure. Many seem to think that the message read as forced. Others argue that just a day before he was at fan meetings looking normal and he had previously stated the group still had a lot more to do till their contracts ended. So, him leaving didn’t seem like something Heesung would have done without further notice. Some fans are even suggesting that this is part of damage control to hide something not yet known.
Sources from inside the company have stated that they had seen the idol on the same night of the message being sent crying in the offices of HYBE. These sources are not perfectly credible however, so it’s hard to tell if this is the truth of the matter.
At this point it doesn’t seem that Heesung will be making a return to Enhypen, leaving many fans disappointed and with many questions.
