Heeseung is parting ways with K-pop group Enhypen, leaving fans devastated over the South Korean boy band’s breakup.
Enhypen’s label Belift Lab announced Tuesday that Heeseung, 24, would be exiting the seven-person group to pursue his career as a solo artist instead.
“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,” the statement said. “As such, Heeseung will be parting ways with Enhypen.”
The message continued, “We understand that this news may be hard for all of our fans to accept with the same feelings. Nevertheless, we kindly ask for your generous understanding, as this decision is a choice for the future of both ENHYPEN and Heeseung.”
K-pop fans shared their heartbroken reactions to the news on social media, with some saying that they were blindsided by the announcement.
[공지] ENHYPEN 향후 활동 안내
— ENHYPEN OFFICIAL (@ENHYPEN) March 10, 2026
안녕하세요.
빌리프랩입니다.
ENHYPEN을 변함없이 응원해주시는 ENGENE 여러분께 진심으로 감사드리며, ENHYPEN의 향후 활동 체제와 관련하여 안내드립니다.
당사는 ENHYPEN이 앞으로 나아가야 할 방향성과 다음 목표에 대해 고민하고 논의해왔습니다. 멤버 각자가…
“WHAT?!?!? I think the fans deserve a better explanation cuz this is genuinely coming out of nowhere for them im so shocked by this news,” one person wrote in part in Korean on X. Another added in Korean, “This is just so sudden and embarrassing...??? I didn't see any signs at all that Hee-seung was going to do solo activities, what is this??? There wasn't even a hint at the recent fansign... This has to be a joke, right??”
Other fans begged Enhypen to say that the departure was just a joke. One wrote on X, “Please tell me this is an early April Fools.” Another fan asked, “Am i dreaming! Is this april fool!! Guys pls this is not funny at all! I'm shaking srsly i feel like I'll throw up.”
The shocking exit drew comparisons to Zayn Malik abruptly leaving One Direction on March 25, 2015, with one fan writing in Portuguese on X: “For those who don't get K-pop, this is like Zayn leaving One Direction.”
Another chimed in, “oh so this is like zayn leaving all over again,” while a third person wrote: “So this is how the one direction fans felt.”
Enhypen is set to continue as a six-piece with members Jungwon, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo and Ni-ki.
Heeseung shared a message in Korean about his departure with the band’s fanbase — who call themselves Engene — on the group’s Weverse platform, “The six years I’ve spent have been filled with moments so overwhelming and precious that it’s hard to fully put them into words.
“Thanks to the members who shared countless emotions with me and to all of you Engene who always filled every empty space with your support, I was able to take step after step toward a dream that once felt impossible to reach,” he wrote. “That time will remain one of the shining moments in my life that I’ll never forget. I never want to forget those moments, and I want to continue being one person who cheers for Enhypen more than anyone else.”
