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| Members of K-pop boy band TREASURE pose in this February photo. Two of them, Mashiho and Bang Ye-dam, have left the group, according to its agency, YG Entertainment, Tuesday. YG Entertainment |
By Kim Rahn
K-pop act TREASURE has been reborn as a 10-member act, with two members leaving the group.
The boy group's agency, YG Entertainment, said Tuesday that TREASURE, which debuted in 2020 as a 12-member group, will continue its activities with just 10 members ― Choi Hyun-suk, Jihoon, Yoshi, Junkyu, Yoon Jae-hyuk, Asahi, Doyoung, Haruto, Park Jeong-woo and So Jung-hwan.
It added it terminated the contract with the two others, Mashiho and Bang Ye-dam, after a long discussion.
"We've made the decision because Mashiho requires sufficient time for recovery due to a health issue, and Bang needs an environment to grow as a producer of unique musical character," the agency said in a statement.
In May of this year, the company announced that the two members will stop group activities, saying Bang would focus on studying music as he wished to strengthen his producing abilities while Japanese member Mashiho, who had been on vacation in Japan, would need more time to recover from a health problem and stay in his hometown. In July, it said the two members would not return until the end of the year.
"We know fans have been waiting for Mashiho and Bang Ye-dam's return, and we also regret (their decisions to leave the group) because they participated in TREASURE's beginning. But they are the ones who have agonized (about their future) the most, so we hope fans will show them support," YG said.
Debuting in August 2020, TREASURE has been very active, releasing three mini-albums that year alone. It gained attention largely because of Bang, who was the runner-up in season 2 of the audition show, K-pop Star, in 2012.
