Blame HYBE? NU’EST’s Disbandment Receives Mixed Reactions From Fans

Is the acquisition to blame?

NU’EST‘s members will be ending their group activities once their contracts end on March 14. PLEDIS Entertainment announced the news in a statement earlier today.

NU’EST

Many fans of the 10-year-old group aren’t ready to say goodbye, but they wish the members all the best in the future. Baekho and Minhyun have decided to stay with their current agency, but JRAron, and Ren will be starting anew elsewhere.

In May of 2020, HYBE became the largest shareholder in Pledis Entertainment. Since the acquisition, PLEDIS Entertainment has continued to operate independently with additional support from HYBE.

We are pleased to join Big Hit, which is leading the Korean entertainment industry. This will serve as an opportunity for both Pledis Entertainment and our artists to take the leap forward. We have high expectations for the future based on Pledis’ creativity and Big Hit’s strengths.

We will repay our fans with better content and greater success for our artists in the future.

— Han Sung Soo, CEO of PLEDIS Entertainment

Now, some fans are blaming HYBE for NU’EST’s fate. They claim that NU’EST stopped having group activities after the acquisition.

They have also accused HYBE of not giving its acquired groups the resources and promotions those groups deserve, pointing to GFRIEND as another example. In July of 2019, GFRIEND’s agency, Source Music, became a subsidiary of HYBE (then BigHit Entertainment).

GFRIEND

In May of 2021, GFRIEND left Source Music after failing to agree on terms for a contract renewal. Three of the members have since gone on to re-debut as a trio, VIVIZ.

Other fans, however, say HYBE is not to blame for either group’s disbandment. They have pointed to sales, alleged mismanagement by the groups’ original agencies, and the members’ own decisions to move on.

Read more here:

NU’EST To Cap Off Group Activities As Exclusive Contracts Come To An End

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