On March 10, K-pop company BeLift Lab released a statement announcing that Heeseung Lee, a profound member of Enhypen, will no longer be a part of the group and will from now on be a solo artist.
In the announcement, the company stated that after many meetings and discussions with Heeseung, going solo seemed to be the “most fulfilling approach,” as the artist wanted to pursue a musical career independent from Enhypen. Because the boy group’s schedule is incredibly demanding, working on a solo project would undermine Heeseung’s ability to commit to either one of his activities. The company also included that they wished to respect Heeseung’s desires to pursue a musical career that aligned with his goals, which were not being achieved through Enhypen.
The statement shocked not only Enhypen fans, known as Engene, but people all over the world. Fans expressed extreme heartbreak over the news and even non-fans communicated their astonishment because of how important Heeseung is to the group. Heeseung Lee, age 24, was not only the main vocalist of the group, but the center, which is a vital position, as it ties the group together visually.
A few hours later, the company posted a letter handwritten by Heeseung himself where he expressed his gratitude towards the members and his fans and apologized for being selfish. He also added that, after much discussion with the company, he decided to follow their direction and separate from the group.
With both the statement and the letter released in one day, fans were overwhelmed with confusion. Engenes and netizens alike were all asking the same question: was Heeseung leaving of his own accord or was the company forcing him? The possibility of Heeseung leaving involuntarily outraged fans and exploded the Internet in less than one hour of the statement’s release.
“It just doesn’t make sense,” comments Nila Branken (11), “Enhypen isn’t the only group with a busy schedule, yet almost every other popular K-pop group has had members who do solo things.”
Another reason why the world was so taken aback by this was because there have been many instances where K-pop idols pursue solo careers while still participating in their respective groups. For example, every BTS member has released at least two solo albums, and Yeonjun from TXT just released his first solo album in 2025 and is still a member of TXT. Since it has been done before, Engenes believe that there is more to Heeseung’s departure and demand full transparency on the issue.
In just one day, the K-pop idol’s name had over 6 million tweets and had over 87 million engagements across all social media platforms. Fans have been tirelessly protesting for two weeks, sending trucks outside the HYBE building in Korea, flooding the Internet with the campaign of “Enhypen is Seven” and starting a petition on change.org that gained over two million signatures in less than one week. Almost every K-pop related social media post has been bombarded with “Enhypen is Seven” and “Bring Heeseung Back” comments for the past two weeks and will only continue to as the days go on.
Additionally, the news about Heeseung was announced the week of Enhypen’s scheduled performance at the Melbourne Festival in Australia. This performance was going to be a really special moment for member Jake Sim, who was born and raised in Melbourne, but unfortunately, due to Heeseung’s sudden leave, only six of the members were to perform. Fans were incredibly upset at this and rumors of a blank sea were floating around social media, which is when fans turn off their lightsticks during a part of the performance.
Branken says, “What I really hate is how poorly they executed this. Enhypen had so many scheduled activities that fans had spent money on, like the fancalls and the performances, and all of a sudden [at the] last minute, they can’t see all seven of them perform. It’s weird and inconsiderate that the company would announce it at such a busy time.”
After the chaos only increased both online and in person at the HYBE Labels building in South Korea, BeLift Lab released another statement reaffirming Heeseung’s departure and threatened to take legal action against those who try to protest in extreme ways as rumored on social media.
Despite BeLift’s letter addressing the finality of the issue, Engenes continued to overflow the Internet with protests and attempts to return their beloved main vocalist back to his throne with his six brothers.
