Suspicion Grows as Heeseung Departs From ENHYPEN for Solo Career | Thumbnail created on Canva | ENHYPEN’s Heeseung | BELIFT LAB

Suspicion Grows as Heeseung Departs From ENHYPEN for Solo Career

How Fans Are Reacting, What Occurred, & What Will Happen Moving Forward Regarding Sudden Departure

Katz Paniagua, Staff Writer

March 25, 2026

120 Views

March 10th, 2026

On a random Tuesday, ENHYPEN’s 7-member lineup changed abruptly on March 10 when BELIFT LAB announced that Heeseung would be leaving the group while continuing under the company as a solo artist. The announcement landed during a packed promotional period, where a little over a month the group had released their new comeback EP, THE SIGN: VANISH and after several days of silence from both the company and the members, a silence had fueled confusion and speculation. ENGENE(fans of ENHYPEN) also noted that several members are nearing contract renewal periods, adding even more uncertainty to the whole unfortunate situation.

Want to know what truly happened, how fans are reacting to the sudden news, and will come next after Heeseung’s official departure? Let’s break it down:

Who Is ENHYPEN?

ENHYPEN is a South Korean K‑pop boy group formed through the survival show I‑LAND and officially debuted back on November 30th, 2020 under BELIFT LAB (a joint venture between entertainment companies HYBE and CJ ENM, so a subsidiary of HYBE). They’re known for their sharp choreography, dark, vampire themed concepts, and a storyline‑driven discography that connects across their albums. Their original line-up consisted of members Jungwon, Niki, Sunoo, Sunghoon, Jake, Jay, and Heeseung (now former member, main vocalist, center, top dancer, oldest, and overall the “ace” of the group).

BELIFT LAB’s Official Statement

BELIFT LAB announced Heeseung’s departure, stating that he would pursue “his own distinct musical vision” while ENHYPEN continues as six.

“Hello, this is BELIFT LAB.

We would like to express our gratitude toward ENGENE for their unwavering support for ENHYPEN and provide information on ENHYPEN’s future activities.

BELIFT LAB has given much thought and consideration into ENHYPEN’s future direction and goals. Through in-depth discussions with each of the members about the future they envision and the direction of the team, it became clear that HEESEUNG has his own distinct musical vision and we have decided to respect it.

As such, HEESEUNG will be parting ways with ENHYPEN, and ENHYPEN will continue official activities henceforth as a group of six members.

It’s difficult to relay the whole process through a short notice, but this decision comes after extensive deliberation. We understand that this news is a lot to process and may be received with mixed reactions. Nevertheless, we hope you understand that this decision was made for the future of ENHYPEN and HEESEUNG.

ENHYPEN remains committed to sharing energetic performances with ENGENE. HEESEUNG will be preparing a solo album as an artist under BELIFT LAB.

We ask for ENGENE’s continued love and support for ENHYPEN and HEESEUNG as they start a new chapter of their journey.

Thank you.

— BELIFT LAB”

Heeseung’s Handwritten Letter to Fans

Heeseung followed the company announcement with a handwritten letter on Weverse, a fan-platform used for K-pop fans to directly interact with Idols, reflecting on the past six years with ENGENE, expressing gratitude, and explaining the long discussions that led to his decision.

“Hello, this is Heeseung.

First of all, I’m sure many ENGENE were surprised to hear the news about me, and I imagine many of you may have questions about the sudden news.. That’s why I wanted to speak directly to ENGENE.

The past six years have been filled with moments that are so overwhelming and precious that they’re hard to fully put into words. Thanks to the members with whom I shared countless emotions, and to ENGENE who always filled the empty spaces, I was able to take step after step toward a dream that once felt impossible to reach.

Those times will remain some of the most shining moments of my life that I will never forget. I want to be someone who never forgets those moments and continues to support ENHYPEN more than anyone else.

While sharing the work I’ve created with the company, I spent a long time discussing with many people about the best way to present it. After thinking deeply for a long time, I made a big decision to follow the direction suggested by the company so that I can approach ENGENE with a better side of myself.

As you know, I’ve been continuing my personal projects and have spent a lot of time hoping that I could show them to ENGENE one day. There were so many things I wanted to show you, but I also didn’t want to put my own ambitions ahead of the team.

I know about the worries and many conversations that have been going around. I’m preparing diligently so that I can meet you all again as soon as possible. My wish to return and greet you with a better version of myself is completely sincere.

Because ENGENE have always given endless love and support to someone like me who still has so many shortcomings, I also feel very sorry knowing that you may be surprised and worried. But I believe you feel this way because of how much you care about me. I will continue running ahead while keeping the abundant love that ENGENE have given me engraved deep in my heart.

ENGENE, thank you and I love you.”

ENHYPEN’s Group Message

The remaining six members shared a joint message acknowledging fans’ shock, expressing their support for Heeseung’s new beginning, and promising to continue growing as ENHYPEN.

“We think ENGENE must have been very surprised after seeing today’s announcement.

The first thing we worried about was how ENGENE would feel.

Since ENHYPEN always exists for ENGENE, seeing ENGENE worried and having a hard time is the most painful thing for us.

The time we have spent together until now has been so precious that it cannot be expressed in words.

Because of that, we respect and support Heeseung hyung’s decision and his new beginning.

To ease ENGENE’s worries even just a little and to create happy days for ENGENE, we, ENHYPEN, will continue to grow even more.To our precious ENGENE who always cheer for and support us wherever we are, we will become an ENHYPEN you can always be proud of. We will grow stronger and never forget to be grateful at every moment.

Thank you always, and we love you, ENGENE.

— ENHYPEN”

Fans’ Reactions & Moving Forward

ENGENE quickly noticed inconsistencies between the announcement and ENHYPEN’s previously scheduled activities, especially since the March 11 fan call had already taken place for the other members while Heeseung’s portion was postponed, followed by confirmation that he would not attend the Japan fan party and that his individual high‑five and autograph sessions would be rescheduled separately. Frustration intensified when Yizhiyu announced that Heeseung would also miss the March 21 Shanghai fan sign event–issuing a formal apology and promising full refunds–which sparked massive backlash from ENGENE who felt the company was undermining even his solo prospects, and still using him for profit.

A fan call event got rescheduled again, making his fist public appearance since the announcement. On March 22, nearly two weeks after the unfortunate news broke, Heeseung appeared in front of ENGENE through the postponed video call. During the call, fan shared supportive messages like “I know you made a new decision, I know you have very high talent in music, so no matter what decision you make, I will always support you.” He also confirmed his upcoming solo debut, explains that he has been preparing his album and plans to release it soon. In one clip that a fan shared, he said the following:

ENGENE: “Do you have any plans for the future?”

Heeseung: “Actually, I’m gonna release my album soon.”

ENGENE: “Oh really, congratulations.”

Heeseung: “Yeah.”

Fans even noticed a moment where he appeared to mouth “in May,” hinting at a possible release window. He also gave a small spoiler about the album’s sound:

ENGENE: “Any spoiler for your new album?”

Heeseung: “Hmm… actually I’m preparing my album… I tell you, it’s gonna be real different.”

ENGENE: “Oh, really? Is it gonna be R&B or–?”

Heeseung: smiling “You’ll know that.”

Don’t you find it weird that Heeseung has not had any solo songs, albums, or projects during his time in the group? Adding to the suspicion, HYBE itself has been facing major internal turmoil, including an ongoing investigation into Chairman Bang Si-hyuk for alleged fraudulent trading connected to the company’s IPO. As of late 2025, Bang was not jailed but was questioned by authorities after accusations that he misled early investors back in 2019, profited over 190 billion won from share resales, and became the subject of police raids, tax probes, and potential travels restrictions/bans. With the investigation still active, some ENGENE believe the company’s instability lead to the departure of Heeseung from the group, as well as the handling of it.

ENGENE responded with protest trucks outside HYBE, a Change.org petition surpassing 2,000,000 signatures (now closed down by the user), and viral polls questioning whether Heeseung should return and whether BELIFT LAB handled the situation properly, all while ENHYPEN’s Instagram following unexpectedly rose by over 100,000 in a single day, rather than declining as it typically goes. Just one day before the announcmentm, Heeseung was present at several fansigns, discussed how they are planning to go to Europe, and a lot of other unfinished activities as a group.

As ENHYPEN continues activities as six and Heeseung prepares for his solo debut, many ENGENE believe the timing of these disruptions–combined with upcoming contract renewals–may signal a larger shift in the group’s future. What are your thoughts on the whole situation? Are ENGENE overreacting? Are the inconsistencies enough to prove it wasn’t his own decision? Tune in for more K-pop related articles!