ENHYPEN Releases Statement after Heeseung's Departure

The remaining members of ENHYPEN are presenting a united front in the wake of HEESEUNG’s sudden shock departure, sharing a statement addressing fans on X.

Posted a few hours after label BELIFT LAB shared that the 24-year-old performer would be leaving the boy band after six years together, Jungwon, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-Ki released a joint message sharing their collective thoughts. “We bet you were really shocked seeing today’s announcement,” the guys wrote, noting they were “most worried” about what “ENGENE would think,” according to the site’s English translation.

In a translation of the note later shared with Billboard by HYBE, the sextet continued, “It pains us the most to see you worried and hurting. The time we have spent together until now has been incredibly precious — so precious that it’s hard to put into words. That’s why we respect and support HEESEUNG’s decision and his new beginning after everything we’ve shared together.”

BELIFT shocked fans by disclosing in a lengthy statement that HEESEUNG would be “parting ways” with ENHYPEN to pursue solo activities. “It’s difficult to relay the whole process through a short notice, but this decision comes after extensive deliberation,” it read. “We understand that this news is a lot to process and may be received with mixed reactions. Nevertheless, we hope you understand that this decision was made for the future of ENHYPEN and HEESEUNG.”

HEESEUNG also shared a message of his own on Weverse, writing that he had shared his work with BELIFT, and that they “spent a long time discussing” how his solo art could be shared with the world. He explained in his letter, “After thinking deeply about it for a long time, I ultimately made a big decision in line with the direction that was discussed, in hopes of returning to you in a better way.”

Regardless, the news was met with widespread concern and upset from ENGENE, with some fans wondering if there’s more to the story, and whether HEESEUNG was pressured to leave. 

Mainly, people are sad to see ENHYPEN’s lineup fractured, to which the band wrote in its statement, “To ease ENGENEs’ worries even a little and to help make every day a happy one for you, ENHYPEN will continue to grow even further moving forward.”

“For our precious ENGENEs who always support and cheer us on wherever we are, we will become stronger and never forget how grateful we are in every moment, so we can always be ENHYPEN you can be proud of,” the group added. “We’re always thankful and we love you, ENGENE.”