2023 K-pop Year-End Special: MOMOLAND's Disbandment, BLACKPINK Jisoo's Breakup, SEVENTEEN's Historic Album Sales, More!

By Riely Miller Dec 31, 2023

K-pop had a blast this 2023, and this wild journey contained both happy and sad news. From relationships to breakups, and debuts to disbandments, fans have stuck through thick and thin to witness all of it play through.

The ending of 2023 also marks the beginning of the new year 2024, which will undoubtedly be filled with roller-coaster of emotions. To conclude this 2023, it's time to reflect on the biggest news, controversies, and achievements K-pop encountered on this year-end special.

Disbandments

1. MOMOLAND Confirms Disbandment

The first major disbandment of 2023 was MOMOLAND, who went their separate ways on February 14.

2. Brave Girls Disbands, Releases Official Statement

Brave Girls disbanded on February 16. However, the group re-debuted under a new agency under with BB Girls as their new name.

3. ASTRO JinJin & Rocky

JinJin & Rocky was ASTRO's second sub-unit, and the duo presumably disbanded when Rocky left the group and Fantagio on February 28.

Debuts

4. BABYMONSTER Hits Home-Run Debut with 'BATTER UP'

BABYMONSTER's entry was one of the most highly anticipated debuts of 2023 since the girl group became the first girl group of YG since BLACKPINK's debut in 2016. The girl group released "BATTER UP" on November 26.

5. RIIZE Charms K-pop Community with Groovy Debut 'Get A Guitar'

SM Entertainment's newest K-pop boy group RIIZE made waves with "Get A Guitar" on September 4.

6. BTS Members Dominate K-pop with Solo Debuts

This 2023, BTS members Jimin, Suga, Jungkook, and V made headlines for their solo debuts.

7. BLACKPINK Jisoo Debuts in Elegant 'FLOWER' MV

Jisoo made her long-awaited debut with "FLOWER" on March 31.

8. TWICE MISAMO Goes Seductive in Debut MV 'Do not touch'

TWICE's first-ever sub-unit MISAMO debuted with "Do not touch" on July 13. The trio is composed of the group's Japanese members Mina, Sana, and Momo.

Relationships / Breakups

9. BLACKPINK Jisoo & Ahn Bo Hyun's Relationship & Breakup

On August 3, Dispatch revealed that Jisoo and actor Ahn Bo Hyun were in a relationship, followed by the confirmation of the two artists' respective agencies.

However, Jisoo and Ahn Bo Hyun broke up on October 24.

10. Girl's Day Hyeri & Ryu Jun Yeol Break Up After 6 Years

After six years of dating, Hyeri and her "Reply 1988" co-star Ryu Jun Yeol's relationship ended on November 13.

11. IU & Lee Jong Suk Confirmed Dating

Although announced on December 31, 2022, IU and Lee Jong Suk were Dispatch's year-end couple, shocking many fans.

Contract Renewals / Departures

12. PENTAGON Leaves Cube Entertainment

PENTAGON members Yeo One, Yan An, Yuto, Kino, and Wooseok left Cube on October 9.

13. BTOB Signs Exclusive Contract with New Agencies

This 2023, BTOB decided not to renew their exclusive contracts with Cube Entertainment. In December, Eunkwang, Minhyuk, Hyunsik, and Peniel signed with a new agency. Sungjae joined IWILL Media, while Changsub with Fantagio.

14. BIGBANG G-Dragon Departs from YG Entertainment

G-Dragon left YG Entertainment on December 18, wrapping up his 17-year journey with the agency.

15. TOP Confirms Exit from BIGBANG

In a surprising turn of events, TOP confirmed his departure from BIGBANG in the most unexpected way by replying to a fan on Instagram.

16. The Wind Leader Jaewon Leaves Group

On December 6, With US Entertainment officially announced that The Wind leader Jaewon would be leaving the group due to personal reasons.

17. BLACKPINK Members Renew with YG

BLINKs were showered with good news on December 6, when all four members renewed their contracts with YG Entertainment.

Trending News / Controversies

18. ASTRO Moonbin Passes Away

On April 19, KST, the K-pop community was placed in a state of shock when the late Moonbin of ASTRO sadly passed away at the age of 25. May he rest in peace.

19. G-Dragon's Drug-Related Case Probe

Amid Lee Sun Kyun's drug-related investigation, G-Dragon was caught in the chaos and was reportedly booked by the police regarding drug charges. Eventually, on December 18, the idol was cleared of drug-related charges.

20. IU's Plagiarism Allegations

In May, IU was accused by an anonymous person of plagiarism, sparking a dispute that eventually led to the dismissal of the allegations.

21. RIIZE Seunghan Undergoes Hiatus Due to Numerous Controversies

Despite RIIZE's grand entrance to K-pop, member Seunghan went under hiatus on November 22. This was due to the idol's controversies, which involved photos showing his alleged past relationship and smoking allegations.

22. SEVENTEEN Joshua's Rumored Girlfriend Ignites Fiasco

In August, Joshua became the subject of discussion across online communities due to a rumored girlfriend circulating social media.

The issue immediately set off a stir inside the K-pop community, full of netizens who became angered over the idol's actions. However, others still backed up Joshua from the ensuing chaos.

23. EXO-CBX & SM Entertainment's Legal Dispute

On June 1, it was reported that EXO-CBX members Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin had sent a contract termination filing several times to SM Entertainment due to unfair compensation and conditions. The case was resolved on June 19 after a discussion with the members.

24. HYBE Labels' Acquisition of SM Entertainment

On February 10, HYBE confirmed that it had signed a contract to acquire a 14.8 percent stake shares from Lee Soo Man, the highest shareholder of SM Entertainment. With this purchase, HYBE became SM's top shareholder.

However, the process of acquiring SM led to a tug-of-war between officials between the two titan agencies in K-pop. Eventually, HYBE withdrew the acquisition on March 12.

25. FIFTY FIFTY & ATTRAKT's Legal Battle

In June 2023, FIFTY FIFTY filed to terminate their contract with ATTRAKT due to the company being unable to provide transparency in settlement and for neglecting the members' health.

This led to a series of events that led to Aran, Sio, and Saena's contract termination, as well as Keena's return to the agency as the only active FIFTY FIFTY member.

Achievements

26. SEVENTEEN & Stray Kids Land Best-Selling Albums in K-pop History

This 2023, SEVENTEEN and Stray Kids broke K-pop's album sales milestone with "FML" and "★★★★★ (5-STAR)," respectively.

27. NewJeans Wins Daesangs in Awards Shows

Despite being a rookie group, NewJeans have won numerous Daesangs in 2023's year-end award shows. The quintet bagged the grand prizes in the 2023 MAMA Awards (Day 2), MelOn Music Awards 2023, and Asia Artist Awards 2023.

28. TWICE Becomes 1st Asian Female Artist to Win 'Breakthrough Award' in Billboard Women in Music

On January 31, TWICE won the "Breakthrough Award" at the Billboard Women in Music 2023, making them the first K-pop female artist and group in history to do so. Read more of their highlights here!