PENTAGON Profile: Versatile Talents, Unwavering Passion, but an Underrated Legacy

About

PENTAGON (Korean: 펜타곤) is a South Korean multinational boy group formed by Cube Entertainment in 2016. Comprised of nine members: Jinho, Hui, Hongseok, Shinwon, Yeo One, Yan An, Yuto, Kino, and Wooseok, they were first introduced through Mnet’s survival program “Pentagon Maker.” The group officially debuted on October 10, 2016, with their self-titled EP.

Biography

• Group name: PENTAGON (펜타곤)
• Debut date: October 10, 2016 (South Korea)/March 29, 2017 (Japan)
• Indefinite hiatus since 2023
• Company: Cube Entertainment
• Number of members: 10
• Members: Jinho , Hui, Hongseok, Yan An, Yuto, Kino, Wooseok, Shinwon, Yeo One, E’Dawn
• Official color: UniNavy
• Fandom name: Universe

Official SNS

• Instagram: @cube_ptg
• Twitter: cube_ptg / CUBE_PTG_JAPAN  (Japan)
• YouTube: PENTAGON 펜타곤  / PENTAGONVEVO (Japan)
• TikTok: @official_ptg

Career

Pre-debut

Before debuting with PENTAGON, several members had prior experience in the entertainment industry.

Hui was a JYP trainee after winning Best Male Vocal at JYP’s 7th Audition and later competed in “Chinese Idol.” Jinho debuted under SM the Ballad, while Hongseok participated in “Mix & Match” but did not make it into iKon. Kino was part of the dance team Urban Boyz, and both he and E’Dawn performed in special stages, including the KBS Song Festival. Jinho and Hui also formed a vocal project group, Seorin-dong Children. Yan An and Yuto joined Cube through its global audition program.

In December 2015, Cube Entertainment announced PENTAGON as their upcoming boy group. PENTAGON was introduced through the Mnet survival show “Pentagon Maker,” which showcased the trainees’ talents and determined the final lineup. They were set to debut on July 16, 2016. By the end of the show, Jinho, Hui, Hongseok, Yeo One, Yuto, Kino, and Wooseok were confirmed as the official members of the group.

The group was originally scheduled to host their debut concert on July 23, 2016, at Jamsil Indoor Stadium, but Cube Entertainment delayed the concert and debut date of the group due to internal issues.

Debut

Pentagon officially debuted on October 10, 2016, as a 10-member group under Cube Entertainment with their self-titled mini album. The EP peaked number seven on the Gaon chart and remained top 10 for two consecutive weeks in the Japan’s Tower Record Kpop weekly chart.

The group held their first solo concert, “Pentagon Mini Concert Tentastic Vol. 1”, on December 6 at the Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin District, Seoul. The tickets for the concert were sold out within eight minutes of going on sale. They gave a sneak preview of their new song “Can You Feel It” ahead of their comeback. Their follow-up release, “Five Senses,” dropped on December 7, 2016 featuring the title track “Can You Feel It?”

On December 11, 2016, PENTAGON appeared in Abema TV ‘Fresh!’ Kpopstarz and recorded over 340,000 live viewers. The group recorded at least four times the average live viewers of Beast, VIXX, B.A.P, Boyfriend, and U-Kiss, and has the second highest number of viewers in the history of the program. PENTAGON set three ‘high speed’ records, including the fastest group to debut in Japan, fastest domestic solo concert, and the fastest concert to sold out.

In March 2017, Pentagon announced their official fandom name, “Universe.” Later that month, they released their first Japanese mini album, “Gorilla,” featuring Japanese versions of previous songs and two new tracks. June 2017 saw the release of their third mini album, “Ceremony,” led by “Critical Beauty,” while September and November brought “Demo_01” and “Demo_02,” continuing their momentum.

Kicking off the year 2018, Pentagon released their Japanese single Violet in January. Their sixth mini album, “Positive,” featuring the hit “Shine,” was released in April, marking their biggest breakthrough. Since its release, the lowest it placed on Melon’s daily chart was in the 500s, but it slowly rose to number 186 on April 29. A month after its release, on May 1, the track rose to number 95 at Melon’s real-time chart. The single peaked at number 16. Following this success, their seventh mini album, “Thumbs Up!,” arrived in September. However, in November 2018, Cube Entertainment announced the termination of E’Dawn’s exclusive contract, confirming his departure from both the company and Pentagon following the controversy surrounding his relationship with HyunA, which was publicly revealed in August 2018.

In 2020, Pentagon reached a significant milestone by releasing their first full-length album, “Universe: The Black Hall,” on February 12. Later in the year, on October 12, they made a comeback with their tenth mini album, “We:th,” marking Yan An’s long-awaited return to group activities. As the year came to an end, they released the digital single “Eternal Flame” on December 18.

In 2021, Pentagon continued their momentum with the release of their eleventh mini album, “Love or Take,” on March 15. The following year, on January 24, they made another comeback with their twelfth mini album, “In:vite U,” featuring “Feelin’” Like as the title track. 2022 also saw the debut of member Kino as a solo artist with his single “Pose” on August 9. A month later, on September 14, Pentagon expanded their Japanese discography by releasing their fifth Japanese mini album, “Feelin’ Like.” To close the year, they participated in “KCON 2022 Saudi Arabia” and released a special digital single on September 30.

In 2023, Pentagon remained active in the Japanese market, releasing the digital single “Shh” on May 10, followed by their sixth Japanese mini album, “Pado,” on August 30. However, on October 9, Cube Entertainment announced that Yeo One, Yan An, Yuto, Kino, and Wooseok had chosen not to renew their contracts, though they remained members of Pentagon, and the group did not disband. The next day, on October 10, Pentagon released “With Universe” as a tribute to their fans in celebration of their 7th debut anniversary. A month later, on November 6, Hongseok also decided not to renew his contract with Cube.

The departure of several members, combined with the absence of any comeback announcements, has led fans to worry that the group enters an indefinite hiatus. However, the members have reassured that PENTAGON has not disbanded, leaving open the possibility of reuniting in the future when conditions allow.

Discography

Korea

Studio albums

• Universe : The Black Hall (2020)

Mini albums

• Pentagon (2016)
• Five Senses (2016)
• Ceremony (2017)
• Demo 01 (2017)
• Demo 02 (2017)
• Positive (2018)
• Thumbs Up! (2018)
• Genie:us (2019)
• Sum(me:r) (2019)
• We:th (2020)
• Love or Take (2021)
• In:vite U (2022)

Digital singles

• Beautiful (2017)
• Stay (2017)
• Eternal Flame (2020)
• Cerberus (2021)
• KCON 2022 Saudi Arabia Signature Song (2022)
• Love Is Pain (2023)
• With Universe (2023)

Collaborations

• “One” (with (G)I-DLE, BTOB, CLC, HyunA, Jo Kwon, Yoo Seon Ho) (2018)

OSTs

• “Twenty-Twenty OST Part.1” (“Twenty-Twenty”) (2020)
• “Sugar Man 3 Episode.1” (“도 (道)”) (2019)
• “Replay: The Moment OST Part.1” (“Honey Drop”) (2021)

Other releases

• “Basquiat” (2020)

Japanese

Studio albums

• Universe : The History (2020)

Mini albums

• Gorilla (2017)
• Violet (2018)
• Shine (2018)
• Do or Not (2021)
• Feelin’ Like (2022)
• Pado (2023)

Singles

• Cosmo (2019)
• Happiness / Sha La La (2019)

Digital singles

• Daisy (2020)
• Shh (2023)

Chinese

Digital singles

• Gorilla (Chinese Ver.) (2017)
• Daisy (2020)
• Do or Not (2021)

English

Digital singles

• Do or Not (2021)

Controversies

Hui’s Dating Rumors with Former (G)I-DLE Member Soojin

In August 2018, dating rumors surfaced between Hui and Soojin, who was a member of (G)I-DLE at the time. The speculation arose after a netizen leaked alleged photos of the two on a date. In response, Cube Entertainment released a statement clarifying that they had “already broken up,” putting an end to the rumors.

Controversy Over Participation in the Five-Star Red Flag Protection Campaign

Amid the ongoing Hong Kong pro-democracy movement, Yan An participated in a campaign on Weibo urging people not to damage the Five-Star Red Flag. This campaign originated from an incident where protesters defaced the Chinese national flag during the demonstrations, and it carried a stance against such actions. However, he did not explicitly express support for the Hong Kong police. In 2021, he also posted a message celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.

E’Dawn Relationship with HyunA

At the time, Pentagon was struggling through a 1 year and 6-month-long dark period after debut. However, just as their song “Shine” was experiencing a resurgence in popularity, the news of HyunA and E’Dawn’s relationship broke out, bringing their momentum to an abrupt end only three months after their breakthrough.

In May 2017, Hui, E’Dawn, and HyunA re-debuted as Triple H, with HyunA selecting E’Dawn, her boyfriend, as a member. Their reality show, which focused more on their relationship than the album, led to controversy over HyunA’s excessive physical affection. Dating rumors soon followed, which Cube Entertainment initially denied. However, E’Dawn and HyunA confirmed their relationship without the company’s approval, undermining the agency’s efforts to manage the situation.

HyunA and Dawn officially broke up after 6 years of dating in 2022. After that, HyunA and former Highlight member Junhyung held their wedding ceremony in October 2024.