KARD, one of K-Pop's only co-ed groups, is disbanding

Dubai: K-pop groups are almost always single gender, split cleanly into boy groups and girl groups. KARD was one of the rare exceptions, and after nine years as one of the genre's few successful mixed gender acts, the group is calling it quits, right in the middle of a world tour.

The announcement

Agency DSP Media confirmed the split on July 6 in a statement to fans, saying the members had "mutually agreed that this album and tour will mark the conclusion of KARD's journey as a group." The news blindsided HIDDEN KARD, as the group's fandom is known, not least because of its timing: KARD are currently mid-tour, with new dates still to come.

A first, and final, full album

KARD, made up of BM, J.Seph, Somin and Jiwoo, debuted in 2017 and spent nine years releasing only EPs and mini albums, never a full-length record. That changes on July 28, when the group releases Where To Now? (Part.2): NOWHERE, their first ever full-length studio album, and now also their last. It completes a two-part project that began with a record posing an open-ended question about the group's future; NOWHERE closes that question out for good.

KARD are not waiting until the album drops to say goodbye. Their DRIFT World Tour is already underway, having kicked off in Tokyo on July 4, with a European leg following in September across Germany, Spain, the UK and Bulgaria, plus further dates in Jakarta and other parts of Asia.

Why a co-ed group was such a big deal

Mixed gender groups were once a normal part of Korean pop, with acts like Koyote, Cool and Space A finding mainstream success in the 1990s. As the modern idol industry grew and became more tightly managed, single-gender line-ups became the default, and co-ed groups all but disappeared. KARD's 2017 debut ran directly against that grain, and member J.Seph has said he initially resisted the idea over fears of stigma before deciding to help prove that "a co-ed group can exist as a team" just like any other. The group went on to build a following in markets, including Latin America, that few K-pop acts had reached before them.