Whether you’re an Orbit, a K-pop enthusiast, or a general pop culture fanatic, you’ve probably seen Chuu of K-pop girl group LOONA on various social platforms over the past week.
LOONA has made an impact in the music sphere since their non-traditional debut – unlike most bands, LOONA only had a collaborative debut in August 2018 with the release of their first mini-album [+ +]. From 2016 to 2018, the original 12 members of LOONA consecutively debuted with solo songs and special subunit projects. (Hence her Korean name, 이달의 소녀, translates to “Girl of the Month.”) They’ve continued to be a force on social media in recent years, with the flood of #StanLoona from Orbits.
However, this latest spate of news articles isn’t because a new single is on the way or because the members are embarking on their first world tour after months of touring North America, Europe and South Korea. [LOONATHEWORLD]. Rather, it is the announcement that beloved member Chuu, who was noticeably absent from the tour, had been AWAY from the group, as well as other reports from other members who are looking for a way out of their contracts, which have also put the members of LOONA in the limelight during their rest period.
Exits are never easy, and this would be no exception. So, just in case you’re confused by the new information about the group that’s coming out every day, here’s a timeline showing what led to Chuu’s removal from LOONA and what’s happened since.
November 25, 2022: Chuu’s removal from LOONA is made official.
On November 25, BlockBerry Creative announced that Chuu would be “banned” from being a member of LOONA, effective immediately. The decision was announced via LOONA’s official fan café, as reported MBC. After a translation of soompithe company claimed they were told Chuu had recently “demonstrated violent language and abuse of power towards [BlockBerry Creative] Employee.”
On November 28th, BlockBerry Creative followed up on its original statement with a clarification that was also posted to LOONA’s Fancafé. “This notice was an announcement with information explaining the current situation and asking for understanding [from] all the fans who have shown their love for LOONA over a long period of time. It was not written with the aim of exposing Chuu’s abuse of power to the public and media,” the note read soompi‘s translation. “It goes without saying, of course, to explain the reason for their removal, and it is the right of Chuu himself and the employees who were harmed to provide the truth or evidence.”
November 28, 2022: K-media reports that nine more LOONA members want to terminate their contracts with BlockBerry Creative.
Also on 28.11. JTBC exclusively reported that nine of the eleven remaining members of LOONA (namely HeeJin, HaSeul, YeoJin, Kim Lip, JinSoul, Choerry, Yves, Go Won and Olivia Hye) had taken legal action to terminate their exclusive contracts with BlockBerry Creative. The only two members excluded from the report were ViVi and HyunJin.