ENHYPEN fans reacted with shock on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, after BELIFT LAB announced that Heeseung would leave the group. The label said the 24-year-old member was parting ways with ENHYPEN after six years and would move forward as a solo act. Soon after the announcement, Heeseung shared a letter on Weverse saying he had decided to follow the company’s suggested direction for his solo career after a long discussion with the agency. Despite the explanation, many fans were not convinced that the decision was fully his own.
Across social media, ENGENE (that’s the name ENHYPEN fans have) expressed sadness, disbelief, and frustration. Some pointed out that only two days earlier, Heeseung had reportedly spoken about ENHYPEN returning to Europe, which is why his exit felt sudden to them. “just 2 days ago, Heeseung said that they’re planning to go back to europe so what happened?,” one X user said.
Others questioned why he had to leave the group in order to pursue a solo career: “i just don’t get why heeseung has to leave the group to pursue his music,” one fan said. In other messages, ENGENE described heartbreak over the situation and said the timing felt strange. One fan even joked that ENHYPEN should collaborate with “a solo artist under BELIFT named Heeseung,” showing diverse reactions to the news.
The backlash quickly turned into organized action. Fans launched a petition on Change.org opposing Heeseung’s departure, and the page reportedly passed 200,000 signatures within five hours. Despite the shocking news, the statements about Heesung’s exit and solo career have been released only by BELIFT LAB and Heesung himself. The ENHYPEN members (Jungwon, Jake, Jay, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-Ki) all shared a joint statement as well. Just months before the lineup change, the group released THE SIN : VANISH. The project debuted at No. 2 in both the United States and Japan and reached No. 1 in South Korea.
