According to an exclusive report by media outlet Sports Seoul on March 12, Kang Daniel is the only Wanna One-related artist whose name has been excluded from the rosters of CJ ENM's signature summer events.
The exclusive report claimed that a large number of "former Wanna One idols" are included in the rosters for CJ ENM's popular 'KCON' series, expected to stop in Japan in May, in New York in July, in Los Angeles in August, and finally, in Thailand in September. However, among the various "artists of Wanna One fame" currently promoting in their respective labels, only Kang Daniel's name has not appeared on any of the above 'KCON' event rosters.
An industry insider added, "CJ ENM should not have any reason to exclude Kang Daniel from these events. The fact that he is currently involved in a legal dispute with his company must be the obvious reason for his exclusion. If the dispute were to be resolved in a timely manner, it is highly likely that he will join these event rosters. In Kang Daniel's shoes as well, these events are considered the perfect stages to showcase himself to his global fans, so missing out on these events could prove to be a big loss."
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They're testing him now to see how long he'll hold out. He has popularity, that much is certain, but the longer he's made to wait, the harder it will be for him to maintain that standing and grow his base. They know exactly what they're doing, and they're probably waiting to see if he'll buckle and go on with it. Kang Daniel was like the new Somi, in that everyone knew he would be going on to do bigger and better things. She finally moved on to another company, but went with JYP's blessing- clearly this company isn't necessarily willing to extend the same courtesy. I feel for him, there is no reason why he of all people shouldn't be able to be working right now. But he's made his choice, so hopefully this works out sooner rather than later.