Top Boy Group Faces Back-to-Back Challenges During Career Peak with Health Issues and Dating Rumors
This year, SEVENTEEN has been on fire, smashing records left and right, but they also face challenges
Two SEVENTEEN’s mini albums released in 2023 sold 5 million copies. They are also the first K-pop act to sell 6.2 million copies with FML. Sweeping the year-end awards, SEVENTEEN bagged the Grand Prize for “Album of the Year” at MAMA and AAA. SEVENTEEN and their sub-unit BSS are the K-pop boy groups with the highest domestic music chart achievements in 2023, leading in 10 out of 12 months on MelOn.
However, the road to glory was rocky for SEVENTEEN in 2023.
Members’ Health Issues
With comebacks and tours on repeat, SEVENTEEN members’ health took a beating. They had to perform with missing members multiple times. Five out of thirteen members had to hit pause amid activities in the past year.
Early this year, ahead of “Super” promotions, The8 suffered a left shoulder bone injury. Despite being part of the group’s performance team, The8 had to take a break from dancing because he had to wear a shoulder strap.
In July 2023, Pledis announced Seungkwan’s suspension of activities due to health concerns following the passing of his best friend Moonbin. This made Seungkwan miss the Follow to Seoul concert. Three months later, Seungkwan resumed his activities.
Before SEVENTEEN’s Follow dome tour in Japan, leader S.Coups suffered from a knee injury that needed surgery. Currently, S.Coups still cannot resume activities as recovery time is needed.
At the group’s concert at Tokyo Dome on September 6th, S.Coups flew to Japan in a wheelchair and came to the venue to watch his fellow members’ performance. Despite the injury halting his activities, S.Coups actively participated in filming the MV for the title track “God of Music” of SEVENTEEN’s 2nd comeback. He consistently fulfills his responsibilities as a leader, leaving fans touched.
October saw the return of SEVENTEEN with the new album “Seventeenth Heaven”, but Mingyu had to sit out of the first music show stages due to a backache.
Just when everything seemed to be settling down, on the morning of December 14th, Pledis informed fans about the health situation of Jeonghan. Jeonghan underwent ankle surgery on the same day, temporarily pausing activities and not participating in the upcoming Follow concerts in the cities of Fukuoka, Bangkok, Bulacan, and Macao.
This injury had lingered throughout the past year, and to ensure his well-being, Jeonghan underwent various treatment methods. Despite all efforts, he still had to undergo surgery, leaving fans feeling heartbroken.
Members continuously facing health issues have led fans to suggest that Pledis should adjust SEVENTEEN’s schedules. As the year comes to a close, it seems like the group hardly gets a break, with many members practically “living” on airplanes, constantly on the move due to both group and solo activities.
Recently, an incident where The8 was swamped by fans during a chaos at the airport, coupled with the company’s failure to provide enough security, has garnered criticism from fans.
Joshua’s Dating Rumor
And as if that wasn’t enough, Joshua found himself in hot water in August 2023, with netizens digging up evidence about his alleged relationship with model and influencer Cho Miyoung. It stirred the pot for a while, with some fans even sending trucks to HYBE’s building, demanding Joshua’s exit. Pledis remained silent on the matter.
Fast forward four months, Joshua’s dating drama resurfaced as fans point fingers at Cho Miyoung, accusing her of intentionally stirring up a pregnancy rumor on social media. Her latest Instagram post has SEVENTEEN fans flooding the comments section with harsh words. And, of course, Joshua once again gets caught up in the storm.
Source: K14
