K-pop has massive and very fast-growing popularity, which is blooming day by day. The K-pop idols, be it solo idols like IU, PSY or a part of boy groups like BTS, TXT, ASTRO or girl groups BLACKPINK, ITZY, TWICE, and many more, have a crazy and unimaginable fanbase all over the globe.
Their fans wholeheartedly love, support, and cheer them up. People from all around the world are going to South Korea to be a part of this fast and huge growing K-pop industry. It has amazing music which tops music charts and also has some worth watching choreographies and stage performances.
K-pop groups are formed by these idols, and each idol has a specific position that they hold, like a vocalist, lead dancer, lead rapper, main vocalist, and more. The members of the group have a contract signed for a specific time period with a company under which their group is formed. Fans experience great happiness when a group is formed and love each member unconditionally, but when even a single member leaves the group, it completely breaks their heart as well.
The year 2023 is a big one for the K-pop groups which debuted in the year 2016. As a typical K-pop group contract is seven years long, which means if the group was formed in 2016, then their contract is likely to end in 2023. Upon the contract expiration, the members need to decide whether they want to renew their exclusive contract with the same agency or want to leave or disband.
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K-pop groups/Idols whose contract will be ending in 2023:
When the contract of the members ends with the agency, some K-pop groups leave and join another agency that they feel is better for them. These K-pop idols have to leave the group either upon the completion of their contract with the company or if they are a part of any scandal, or even because of personal and health-related issues.
Fans of these K-pop groups and idols always hope for their best and want to see them make better music together as a group. Tho Many agencies have already released their official statements regarding the contract renewal, some agencies are still yet to release their announcements. Let’s have a look at the K-pop groups/Idols whose contract is likely to end or has already ended in the year 2023!
Rocky (ASTRO)
Park Min Hyuk is a South Korean rapper, singer, dancer, actor, and composer who is known by his stage name Rocky. He is now no longer a part of the boy group Astro but a former member of that boy group. He officially made his debut in Astro, which is under Fantagio Entertainment as a member with the position of a main dancer and lead rapper in the year 2015.
On 28th of February 2023, an announcement was made by the Fangio company stating that post a lot of discussions with the member Park Min Hyuk aka Rocky, it was decided that he would be leaving the boy band Astro on the expiration of his contract with the company. After his departure from the group, Astro currently has four members- MJ, Jinjin, Cha Eunwoo, and Yoon San Ha.
ASTRO
ASTRO is a South Korean boy group that currently has four members MJ, Jinjin, Cha Eunwoo, and Yoon San Ha. This boy band’s members made their official debut as ASTRO’s members on the 23rd of February 2016 under Fantagio Entertainment with their extended play ‘Spring Up.’
The group is very famous, and the members are extremely loved and supported. Cha Eunwoo is the most popular member among the four. The boy group Astro has good music and choreography, which is liked by their fans a lot.
The group previously had two more members, but Park Min Hyuk, aka Rocky, left the group upon contract completion on the 28th of February 2023, and on the 19th of April 2023, Moonbin reportedly passed away. As the members of the boy group Astro debuted in the year 2016, after seven years in 2023, their contract signed with the company will come to an end.
But the good news is that three members out of the four have already renewed their contracts, which was revealed by the company, but their bandmate Mj is currently completing his required military service and is expected to return between January to March 2024.
Blackpink
Blackpink is a South Korean girl group under the label YG Entertainment which has four members- Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. Blackpink members officially made their debut in the year 2016. They have a huge fanbase all around the globe and have also topped charts all around with their fellow K-Pop artists, BTS, IU, etc.
Each member of the girl group Blackpink had a different duration as a trainee and their solo journey from the start till they came together as Blackpink. They have been together for six years making record-breaking music and giving stunning performances. As the group debuted in the year 2016, and the contract with the company ends after seven years which is 2023.
The expiration of their contract is expected to be in August 2023, but there are high chances and high expectations that they will renew their contract as they have a lot of schedules lined up. Still, there are mixed thoughts about the members staying and continuing with YG Entertainment or ending their contact and shifting to another company. Tho there is no official announcement yet, but fans are hoping for the best.
NCT
NCT, which stands for ‘Neo Culture Technology’, is a South Korean boy band under SM Entertainment which got debuted in the year 2016. currently, the group is of 23 members not only from South Korea but also from different countries like China, Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The members of this group are divided into five various subunits- NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream, WayV, and NCT DoJaeJung.
In K-pop, seven years contract is made, and upon its completion, the group members decide whether they want to renew their contract or disband. The K-pop boy group NCT debuted in 2016, so after seven years which is 2023, their current contract is most likely to come to an end.
Whether NCT will renew its contract with SM Entertainment or not is still a dilemma. Though fans believe that 2016 debuted two sub-units- NCT 127 and NCT Dreams will renew their contacts, there is still no official contact renewal announcement yet.
PENTAGON
Pentagon is a South Korean multinational boy band that is stylized as PENTAGON and abbreviated as PTG under SM Entertainment. It currently has nine members- Jinho, Hui, Hongseok, Shinwon, Yeo One, Yan An, Yuto, Kino, and Wooseok. PENTAGON officially made its debut in the year 2016.
PENTAGON at first had ten members, but E’Dawn left the group, and his departure was officially confirmed on the 14th of November 2018. As the usual contract in K-pop follows, the time period is of seven years. As the group debuted in 2016 then, the contract of group is likely to end in October 2023, which is after seven years.
Tho there is no confirmation from their end whether they will renew their contract or go solo, their fans are hoping that the boy band continues and gives make more amazing music as a group.
SF9
SF9 is a South Korean boy group formed and maintained by FNC Entertainment which consists of 9 members- Kim Young Bin, Kim In Seong, Lee Jae Yoon, Lee Sang Hyuk, Baek Ju Ho, Kim Seok Woo (Rowoon), Yoo Tae Yang, Kim Young Kyun, and Kang Chan Hee. It is the company’s very first dance group.
All nine members of the boy group SF9 officially made their debut on the 5th of October 2016 with the release of their first album, Feeling Sensation. Like all contracts in K-pop, which is of a seven-year period, their contract is most likely to expire in October 2023.
But the good news is that all nine members renewed their contracts long back in the first week of March 2022. On the 21st of March 2022, one of the nine members, Kim In Seong, enlisted in the military, and soon after that, another member Kim Young Bin also went to complete his required military service. They will further continue the SF9 legacy and make more amazing music ahead.
VICTON
VICTON is a South Korean boy band which is formed by IST Entertainment and consists of 6 members- Han Seung Woo, Kang Seung Sik, Lim Se Jun, Do Han Se, Choi Byung Chan, and Jung Su-Bin. The name VICTON is a short name for Voice to New World. The members of the group all together officially debuted on the 11th of October 2016.
Since their debut, they have been engaging with the fans and making good music. As every K- pop contract period is of seven years, and it has already been seven years since the boy group VICTON debuted, so their contract will end in the year 2023.
IST Entertainment has released an official statement regarding the group’s contract renewal as of April 20, KST confirming that three members of the boy group VICTON, Hanse, Byung Chan, and Subin, have decided not to renew their exclusive contract with the company.
The agency stated that it would conclude its management duties of VICTON members Hanse, Byung Chan, and Subin as of April 20, KST, with the expiration of these individual members’ exclusive contracts.
WJSN
WJSN is a South Korean girl group which is also known as Cosmic Girls, formed by Starship Entertainment and Yuehua Entertainment. It currently consists of ten members- Seola, Bona, Exy, Soobin, Luda, Dawon, Eunseo, Yeo Reum, Da Young, and Yoon-Jung. This girl group at first officially debuted with twelve members on 25th February 2016 with their extended play ‘Would You Like?’
Since the girl group debuted in the year 2016, in 2023, WJSN members have already completed the seven-year time period of their contract with the company. They had to choose whether they wanted to continue and renew their contract with the company or not. On 3rd of March 2023, the agency released an official statement regarding this.
Starship Entertainment stated that eight members of the group out of the ten have renewed their contracts, while two members, after a lot of deep discussions, chose to leave the agency with the end of their exclusive contracts.
MOMOLAND
MOMOLAND was a South Korean girl group under MLD Entertainment consisting of six members- Lee Hye Bin, Sung Ji Yeon, Kim Na Yun, Lee Joo-Won, Lee Ah In, and Nancy Jewel Mcdonie. This girl group was formed by the winners of the show Finding Momoland. The members made their official debut on the 10th of November 2016 with their debut album Welcome to Momoland.
Their two band members, Taeha and Yeon-Woo, departed from the group in the year 2019, while Daisy left the next group next year in 2020. As all the members debuted in 2016, their contract with the company was to be ended in 2023.
On 23rd of January 2023, their agency released an official statement regarding it which stated that none of the members had renewed their exclusive contract with the agency upon their contract expiration though it wasn’t regarded as disbanded. But on the 14th of February 2023, the members of the group wrote out letters indirectly hinting that they had disbanded.
Brave Girls
Brave Girls was a South Korean girl group consisting of four members- Kim Min Young, Nam Yu Jeong, Hong Eun-Ji, and Lee Yu Na, under Brave Entertainment. The girl group officially made their debut on the 7th of April 2011 with their debut single album, The Difference. The group was very popular, and their music was very well apricated.
Sadly, on the 16th of February 2023, the girl group Brave Girls agency Brave Entertainment officially made an announcement stating that all four members of the group left the label and are disbanding following the expiration of their exclusive contract with the agency. The news broke the hearts of their fans. But just two months later, this girl group yet again came back and reunited under Warner Music Korea.
These were the groups whose contracts ended and are going to end in the year 2023. Many agencies have already released their official statements regarding the contract renewal, but some agencies are still yet to release their announcements. Tho each K-pop group and idol have its own journey and decisions to make. They have their own respective fanbase, which unconditionally loves, supports, and cheer the members up, which even gives them the confidence to continue what they want to do, hoping that their fans will continue to support them.
Also Read: What is a Single Album In K-Pop?
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