On June 2, Starship Entertainment announced that Park Jun Hwan has decided to withdraw from the rookie boy group IDID.
Background Info
IDID is Starship Entertainment's upcoming rookie boy group consisting of members selected from the latest idol competition show 'Debut's Plan.' On May 5, Starship Entertainment announced that during the livestream of EP.9 Final Debut Live on the YouTube channel 'New Kids on the Starship,' the company selected the final 8 debut members of its new boy group IDID through the seventh mission, the Final Debut Evaluation.
However, following the debut announcement, Park Jun Hwan was accused of "misogynistic behavior" during his school years.
Apology letter from a "false rumor" spreader
As the controversy escalated, Starship Entertainment released a statement denying that the rumors were true. The agency also released an apology letter from the individual who spread the false rumors. In the letter, the individual stated they were unaware of the scale of damage their false claims caused to Park Jun Hwan.
Dated as written on May 28, 2025, they wrote:
"I sincerely apologize for the serious harm I caused to Park Jun Hwan, his family, his agency, and his fans by spreading false rumors related to him.
At the time, I irresponsibly spoke about unverified stories circulating online and on social media as if they were facts, and I carelessly used expressions that implied things about Park Jun Hwan’s private life, which severely damaged his reputation and image.
Through this incident, I have come to deeply realize how wrong my actions were. I feel a strong sense of responsibility and genuine remorse for the mental suffering Park Jun Hwan had to endure as a result, the shock his family experienced, and the difficulties faced by his agency. I sincerely apologize for my reckless actions caused by a lack of understanding and awareness of the situation.
From now on, I will be more cautious with my actions and words, and I will strive to live with greater care and responsibility to ensure this never happens again.
Once again, I deeply reflect and apologize to Park Jun Hwan, his family, his agency, and all others affected by my thoughtless behavior. I will take this incident as a serious lesson in my life."
Park Jun Hwan's withdrawal
Despite the rumors being proven false and an apology letter from the spreader, Park Jun Hwan firmly expressed his wishes to withdraw from the project.
Starship Entertainment explained, "However, unfounded rumors, malicious slander, and continuous malicious comments have caused Park Jun Hwan, a minor, to suffer unbearable mental distress, and the situation has recently worsened to the point where it severely interferes with his daily life. In response, we have been trying to help with his psychological recovery through consultation with professional medical staff. However, as he seriously conveyed his intention to step down from team activities, respecting his wishes, we have decided to allow him enough time to rest."
Now IDID will continue as a 7-member group consisting of members Kim Min Jae, Jang Yong Hoon, Baek Jun Hyuk, Park Won Bin, Chu Yoo Chan, Jung Se Min, and Park Sung Hyun, set to officially debut in the industry in the second half of this year.
Netizen Reaction to Park Jun Hwan's withdrawal
Korean netizens reacted with concern for the young idol trainee and commented:
"This is Starship’s fault. They eliminated a popular member in the survival show and picked someone outside the ranking as a 'company pick' as a final member. That already made fans resentful. Then, school bullying and sexual harassment rumors came out, and the company ignored it until now, suddenly announcing his withdrawal. If they were going to do this, why even hold a survival show? Just debut who you want from the start."
"Fabricated survival show again."
"The person who spread the rumor is the worst, but Starship... seriously mishandled this. Now they’ve had to let go of their own 'company pick' member. The final episode is only a month away."
"This is because this member was chosen by the company, he didn't have fans, only antis."
"Wait, all of that was a rumor? That's so scary."
"I watched the show late and was satisfied because my pick debuted. But on X (formerly Twitter), even people whose picks made it were raging because they didn’t like the final lineup."
"Why leave if it was just a rumor?"
"It's probably because he couldn't mentally handle the controversy. He's so young."
"Wow, can’t believe that was a rumor. That’s scary."
"It’s not even the first time something like this has happened, yet someone posts one thing and everyone believes it and starts hating. Why do we keep making the same mistake...If someone really wanted to ruin someone’s life, it’d be so easy in this industry."
"It was a rumor, and he still left????"
"I just hope he doesn’t end up traumatized at such a young age..."
"Even here, people were acting like he was guilty. I wish people would stop piling onto hate like this."
"His mental strength must’ve snapped. He’s still so young... this is heartbreaking."
"Why are people saying 'why leave if it was a rumor?' when it’s all explained clearly? Did they not read? You don’t know how hard it is until you’re the one hit with false rumors."
"I hope this isn’t one of those cases where they quietly settle and put out an apology to wrap up the rumor..."
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