On March 3rd, after 11 years as an idol, Haewon of boy group LU4US (formerly LU:KUS, L.A.U) announced he will be departing the group and leaving the idol life behind.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, the singer and rapper documents his final concert in Tokyo as a member of LU4US where he is brought to tears alongside his now-former group mates, Donghyeon and Choi (member Kyungjin is currently in the military), for what is their final stage together.
Haewon has had a very colorful and interesting career in his 11 years as an idol. He debuted in 2009 with the trot music group 3ChongSa (three musketeers) as the visual member Sa Sya.
Their song “Eat Eat” has become a staple of Korean variety shows as the background music for every idol clip involving food.
After 3ChongSa disbanded in 2010, Haewon made his second debut in 2011 with future LU4US members Donghyeon and Jinhwan as the lead vocalist of the five-member boy group X-5.
X-5 stands for Xenos-5, Xenos being a word of Greek origin meaning “the variety of what a particular individual can be.” The group had a much more contemporary K-pop sound. Compared to the cute, boy-next-door concept of 3ChongSa, X-5 showed a darker, tougher, more masculine boy group image.
The group were known as the tallest boy group in K-pop for quite some time and were on the rise until their company Open World Entertainment was involved in a major scandal which led to the CEO being charged and sent to prison for crimes and abuse.
Eventually in late 2012, the agency cancelled their contracts and X-5 disbanded.
Fast-forwarding to 2013, it was announced that three members of X-5 had signed to the new agency Box Media and would be re-debuting in the new boy group LU:KUS.
LU:KUS, meaning “Look At Us,” made their debut on July 4th, 2014, after relocating to yet another company: Pan Entertainment.
This would mark Haewon’s third and final time debuting in a new group, now going by the stage name, J.One.
LU:KUS gained a steady and loyal fanbase in both Korea and Japan through songs such as “So Into U” and “Break Ya.” The group’s songs still hold up today in capturing that signature K-pop sound that was prominent during that era of the genre.
In 2016, the group parted ways with Pan Entertainment and signed to HY Entertainment.
Due to PAN Entertainment owning the rights to the name LU:KUS, the boys changed their name to L.A.U, which had the double meaning of “Look At Us” and “LU:KUS And U” (“And U” being their fandom name).
L.A.U’s return was met with joy by fans who had stayed with the group throughout many company changes and the uncertainty of the future. L.A.U focused primarily on promoting in Japan where their biggest fanbase was.
Haewon began his mandatory military service on September 20th, 2016, and L.A.U continued promoting as three members during this time in both Japan and Korea.
In 2017, after a period of hiatus due to health issues, member Jinhwan decided to leave the group and stay out of the public eye. Haewon completed his military duties successfully and was discharged on June 24th, 2018.
The group left HY Entertainment in 2018 and signed to JWK Entertainment, who remain their company today.
With the new company came yet another name change, from L.A.U to LU4US, the exact reason for the decision was never confirmed. Fans speculate it was for the Korean release of their popular Japanese single “Faker,” as the sound and spelling (in hangul) of LU4US is the same as LU:KUS.
The Korean version of “Faker” was released on January 14th, 2019, and was the group’s first release in Korea in almost two years. It also marked Haewon’s return to the group after enlistment.
Unlike the original Japanese version which was released during Haewon’s absence from the group, the new, re-worked version of the song included his vocals on the track.
Haewon began working out more fervently last year, sharing his progress on Instagram. He has since stated that he wants to compete in a bodybuilding competition.
He speaks Korean, English, Japanese, and Russian. He has a dog named Boss and is an idol well-known by the wider K-pop community even if they don’t know any of the groups he’s been a part of due to his visuals and his sometimes outrageous and often entertaining posts on Instagram.
However, you really should get to know all the group’s Haewon has been a part of, especially LU4US who will now be active as three members.
Choi (maknae, who composes, writes and produces many of the group’s songs)
Donghyun (leader, who was with Haewon since X-5 days)
Kyungjin (vocalist, currently enlisted)
Haewon also created his YouTube channel “HAENI” where he documents a variety of content from workout videos, ASMR, vlogs, short skits, eating broadcasts and Q&As. He taught himself how to edit videos and has a comedic and quirky editing style that is reflective of his personality.
Haewon’s last event with LU4US was on March 1st, 2020, in Tokyo. He was originally planning to just go on hiatus from the group, but he revealed earlier in the year that his dreams have changed. As a result, he made the decision to leave the group permanently.
Haewon plans to continue making videos on YouTube, he wants to compete in a bodybuilding event, and he also has aspirations to study in the U.S.
Although we are sad to see Haewon leave the K-pop industry, we admire and respect his transparency about the undoubtedly difficult decision. We will continue to support both him and LU4US in the future!
We wish Haewon all the best in this new and exciting chapter of his life.
Watch his emotional farewell video below!
Justin is an avid K-pop fanboy and a lifelong lover of music who has a passion for sharing his love of underrated and lesser known groups. When he’s not obsessing over SHINee or waiting for a HOTSHOT comeback, you’ll find him binge watching his favorite TV shows and soap operas, playing video games, and spending time with his loved ones.
Media: Jerry Entertainment, MBC, Open World Entertainment, Pan Entertainment, HY Entertainment, JWK Entertainment, As Credited