Agency AI Grand Korea, home to boy group D-CRUNCH, released a statement on December 28th KST announcing the departure of beloved member, Hyunwoo.
The reason cited for his departure is the ongoing backpain which saw him temporarily suspend activities with the group earlier this September. Hyunwoo did not participate in promotions for “Across The Universe” to devote time for recovery and treatment.
However, heeding his doctor’s opinion that it is too much for him to continue with the group in the future, Hyunwoo expressed his intention to end his activities with the team. After lengthy discussions with the company, his family, and the rest of the D-CRUNCH members, they decided to respect Hyunwoo’s wishes.
In a handwritten letter posted on the group’s official fancafe and Twitter, Hyunwoo expressed his personal thoughts to fans (called “Diana”), thanking them for their support and for giving him unforgettable memories.
He added that he has undergone many procedures to treat a herniated disc but it is too difficult to continue his singing career as the pain still persisted. Although it feels very sudden, he decided to depart because he did not want to burden the members (who he refers to as “family-like”) or the company.
Full statement from AI Grand Korea:
Hello, this is AI Grand Korea.
First of all, we would like to apologize for delivering the sad news to Diana at home and abroad who care for and love D-CRUNCH.
Hyunwoo, who has been loved as a member of D-CRUNCH, has expressed his intention to suspend his activities for various health reasons after a long deliberation, so he will not be able to work as a member of D-CRUNCH in the future.
Hyunwoo had temporarily suspended his official schedule and album activities due to back pain and has been concentrating on recovering. However, after sufficient discussion with Hyunwoo, his family and members, we decided to respect Hyunwoo’s will, in response to the doctor’s opinion that it would be too much to continue D-CRUNCH activities.
In response, we would like to inform you that Hyunwoo has completed his activities as a member of D-CRUNCH. Once again, we apologize to Diana at home and abroad who would have waited for Hyunwoo to recover his health.
Although the contract with the company has been terminated, we will continue to encourage and support Hyunwoo’s recovery and future steps. Please give a lot of support to Hyunwoo, who is on a new path, and please continue to support D-CRUNCH members.
It’s already the end of 2020.We’ve had a lot of unfortunate things this past year, but we’d like to thank Diana for there have been many things to be thankful for. In 2021, we will do our best to show you how D-CRUNCH develops and works harder.Thank you.
AI Grand Korea
Hyunwoo’s heartfelt handwritten letter reads:
to. dear Diana,
Hello, everyone who’s been supporting me.
I have something to tell you, so I’m writing it down here.
I went down to my parents’ home with a herniated disc, had a lot of procedures and exercises, but my pain was not healed, so I consulted with my family and members and decided that it was difficult to continue my singing career.
I made this decision because I didn’t want to do this to my family-like members and the company. It was a great honor and happiness for me to be with Diana and the members.Hyunwoo (D-CRUNCH)
Thank you so much for supporting me and giving me unforgettable memories.
Goodbye, everyone.
Sincerely, Hyunwoo
Hyunwoo was a trainee at All-S Company (D-CRUNCH’s original agency until 2020) since January 2017. He officially debuted as a vocalist in the 9-member boy group on August 6th, 2018.
Becoming a singer has always his dream, but due to circumstances at home he was unable to prepare early on. He managed to find an opportunity during his high school years but had to do part-time jobs as a way to support himself in the meantime. He has stated that he considers himself “lucky” to have passed the audition and mak to it into D-CRUNCH at such an early stage of his training.
As a member of D-CRUNCH for two and a half years, Hyunwoo travelled to many different parts of the world with the group, performing and holding showcases in places like Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Abu Dhabi.
All 9 members of the group were set to tour Europe for the first time in June of this year, prior to Hyunwoo going on hiatus. However, the concerts that were to be scheduled for the major cities of Warsaw and Stockholm were postponed due to COVID-19.
Fans from all around the world have been sending messages of thanks and support for Hyunwoo using the hashtags #ThankYouHyunwoo and #WeLoveYouHyunwoo on social media.
We join them in sincerely wishing Hyunwoo all the best for a full recovery and we hope to see him continue to pursue his dream of music in the future!
Let us know your thoughts by tweeting to us @whatthekpop1!
Justin has been a K-pop fan for many years, developing a passion for shining a spotlight on underrated and lesser known groups. A professional procrastinator who is currently spending his post-lockdown time trying to figure out how to return to normal face-to-face interactions with other humans, while much preferring the company of fictional ones.
MEDIA: AI Grand Korea