Former ILLIT Member Youngseo’s Exit Reason: Was She Removed to Form a 5-Member Group?

Speculation surrounding former ILLIT member Youngseo’s departure has reignited online, following a viral post on Pann Nate that claims she was removed to reduce ILLIT to a five-member group—allegedly under HYBE founder Bang Si-hyuk’s direction.

“So it’s true that former ILLIT member Youngseo was kicked out. Wow, Bang Si-hyuk really did make her leave just to turn ILLIT into a 5-member group,” the post stated. According to the post, Youngseo wasted no time after her departure. “As soon as she left the company, she said she DM’d THEBLACKLABEL herself on Instagram, auditioned, and got in. Seems like after getting kicked out, she personally went around looking for a new company.”

In a recently released debut introduction video by THEBLACKLABEL—which is preparing to launch a new co-ed group featuring Youngseo—she spoke openly about the experience.

Since I was young, I really loved THEBLACKLABEL’s music, so I really wanted to join the company,” she said. “I thought I could finally make the kind of music I truly love—but first, I had to get accepted, right? hehe… I had been training at another company for a long time, and when I decided to leave—especially as I was getting a little ‘older’ by idol standards—I really hesitated. I thought, ‘What should I do now?’ Then I told myself, ‘I have to take matters into my own hands,’ and ‘I need to stand up on my own.’ So I wrote an application, sent in a video of myself dancing and singing in my style, and applied directly. The company told me to prepare everything I had and come in for an evaluation. I did a pre-screening, passed the audition, and was officially accepted into THEBLACKLABEL.

The controversy has split netizens, and a number of comments have gone viral online. Here’s a selection of opinions reflecting the debate:

• How can they debut someone straight from a survival show, film all the self-produced content with her, and then kick her out without explanation… I get that people hate HYBE, but stop forcing narratives. There must’ve been circumstances. I just hope both ILLIT and Youngseo do well.
• If they wanted to make it a 5-member group from the start, they would’ve finalized the group with 5 members during the survival show.
• Those fans seem to be using Youngseo now… It’s really pathetic.
• The whole R U Next system wasn’t about just ranking 1st—it was always about Bang Si-hyuk’s picks debuting. So why would they pick Youngseo, even shoot magazine spreads with her, and then kick her out? Whatever the reason, there’s no way HYBE let her go without one.
• It’s obvious she was removed by the company. Who would voluntarily give up debuting in a HYBE girl group? Am I the only one who saw the document saying she ran away, lol? In the survival show, 1st and 2nd place had guaranteed debuts. The rest were company picks. Since Youngseo placed 2nd, they probably couldn’t drop her right away and waited for the right moment to take her out. HYBE is that kind of company, lol.

With THEBLACKLABEL gearing up for the debut of their co-ed group ALLDAY PROJECT, Youngseo’s new journey seems to be just beginning—despite the controversy that continues to follow her exit from ILLIT.