K-Pop’s Wonho quits Monsta X amidst allegations
The artist quit the South Korean group, saying he wants to protect his bandmates
Monsta X’s member Wonho has departed from the K-Pop band amid a string of accusations against him on social media concerning his past behaviour during his pre-debut days.
On October 31, the South Korean label announced the news through Twitter in a Korean and English statement, revealing that group will moving forward with six members and expressed gratitude to Monsta X’s fans.
“After a long discussion with Monsta X’s member Wonho, we have agreed that it’s best to part ways amicably at this point,” reads Starship’s statement on its official Twitter account.
“We greatly respect Wonho’s decision who wants to make sure the recent chain of events doesn’t distract from all the exciting things that are happening for Monsta X now and what lies ahead in the future. We will continue to hold legal liability for malicious and distorted claims related to this matter.”
In addition to allegations surrounding his time in juvenile detention back in his younger years, Wonho — whose real name is Shin Ho-seok — was caught up in rumours that he allegedly owned former ‘Ulzzang Shidae’ co-star Jung Da Eun money, to which claims his label has denied.
After the public revelation, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter went to share a handwritten letter on the group’s official fancafe to address this situation. He apologised to fans and stated his decision was made to protect and avoid negatively impacting his bandmates — Shownu, Hyungwon, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Joohoney, and I.M.
The K-Pop artist’s sudden decision left fans in a shock, leading to an outpour of support and sadness from the group’s Monbebes fanbase from around the world. A series of tweets related to the singer was trending on Twitter worldwide as well as in the UAE.
Fans in Korea have left post-it notes on Starship’s building and have been demanding Wonho’s reinstatement.
The announcement came days after the group released their new album, ‘Follow — Find You’, which was in the top 10 of the UAE iTunes Top Albums chart.
Debuted in 2015, the K-Pop sensation has been gaining traction in the US music market, appearing on a number of high-profile TV shows as well as collaborating with the likes of Steve Aoki, French Montana and will.i.am on English-language tracks. Monsta X is currently signed under Epic Records.
Wonho is the third K-Pop member of a K-Pop boy band to depart this month, including Stray Kids’ Woojin and The Boyz’s Hwall.