B.A.P‘s cherished leader Bang Yong Guk has decided not to renew his contract with their agency, thus signalling his departure from the group.
On August 23, TS Entertainment released the following statement:
“Bang Yong Guk, who has been with B.A.P and TS Entertainment since August 12, 2011, recently observed his contract’s end on August 19, 2018. We have discussed the matter thoroughly with him and the remaining members of B.A.P, and we wish to respect Bang Yong Guk’s decision not to renew his contract. We are grateful for the time he has given to our agency, and send our heartfelt support for his future.”
The agency went on to state that B.A.P will continue on as five members (Himchan, Daehyun, Youngjae, Jongup, and Zelo), and partake in any scheduled activities as planned. They also asked fans to keep supporting the group in future endeavors.
Recently, during their concert “B.A.P 2018 LIVE – Limited – In Seoul,” the group opened up to their fans about the idea of an uncertain future. Youngjae couldn’t hold back his tears in front of fans, and Himchan explained that their contracts would be expiring in the near future at different times. Daehyun revealed that the members themselves were not sure how things would work out.
B.A.P only knew one thing for sure: this would most likely be their last concert as six.
Bang Yong Guk then reassured fans, saying: “Don’t cry. Never forget that BABYs will always have a big place in our hearts. We are always working hard to show you the best versions of B.A.P, so please continue giving us your love.”
The members then exclaimed: “We have many days still ahead of us, so let’s keep walking together.”
Despite the news of Yongguk’s departure from the agency, we hope BABYs will have faith in B.A.P. We wish Yongguk and B.A.P continued strength and success!
Saleha (StarlightSora) is a WTK writer who hails from Northern Virginia. She’s an avid fan of VIXX, B.A.P, EXO, BTS, SEVENTEEN (and counting). An otaku and a gamer, when she’s not writing fanfiction for one fandom or another, she can be found binge-watching anime or playing through The Last of Us for the twentieth time. She hopes to be a published writer one day—after seeing all her faves live, of course.
Media: TS Entertainment And As Credited