The 24-member rookie boy group Identity, which started off on a rocky note due to member Hwang Bo-min's personal life controversy, is going ahead with their debut event.
According to their agency Modehouse, Identity's first unit group ‘Unevermet’ will hold a press debut showcase on August 11 at a location in Seoul. All unit members except Hwang Bo-min, including Kim Do-hoon, Kim Hee-joo, Choi Tae-in, Lee Jae-young, Kim Joo-ho, Nam Ji-woon, and Lee Hwan-hee, will attend the event.
‘Unevermet’ started as an 8-member group but decided to exclude Hwang Bo-min from promotional activities due to allegations of past bullying and a scandalous personal life.
Hwang Bo-min will halt all activities, including the debut schedule. The agency stated, “To avoid hasty judgments and minimize confusion, we plan to resume activities and join the second unit group ‘Yesweare’ after the truth of the matter is clearly confirmed.”
This effectively breaks the original structure of the group, which included Hwang Bo-min, and reorganizes the team. However, the future remains uncertain. The duration of the activity hiatus is expected to vary depending on the truth of the incident.
Rather than postponing the debut until the situation is resolved, the determination to proceed with the scheduled official debut event while facing the controversy head-on is notable. With the number of members reaching 24, it seems they are not overly concerned about one person's controversy.
As questions related to Hwang Bo-min are expected to arise during the showcase, there are concerns that it may turn into a session to clarify the controversy rather than focusing on the team's identity.
The agency plans to closely examine various information and claims regarding the Hwang Bo-min controversy.
Additionally, due to Hwang Bo-min's absence, Identity is likely to face unavoidable modifications in various aspects they had prepared for their debut, such as song part distribution and choreography performances.
Identity is a group launched by Modehouse, which produced the 24-member girl group Triple S, and has been generating buzz even before their debut.
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
