Chuu’s Removal from K-pop Group LOONA, Explained

Whether you are an Orbit, a K-pop enthusiast, or a general pop culture aficionado, you’ve probably seen Chuu from K-pop girl group LOONA trending across various social platforms over the past week.

LOONA has made an impact in the music space since their nontraditional debut —  unlike most bands, LOONA didn’t have a joint debut until August 2018 with the release of their first mini album [+ +]. From 2016 to 2018, the original 12 members of LOONA debuted one by one with solo songs and special subunit projects. (That’s why their Korean name, 이달의 소녀, translates to “girl of the month.”) They’ve continued to be a force on social media, with the flood of #StanLoona from Orbits over the past few years.

This recent wave of news articles, however, is not because a new single is on the way or because the members are opening up after months on the road across North America, Europe, and South Korea with their first world tour, [LOONATHEWORLD]. Rather, it is the announcement that beloved member Chuu, who was notably absent from the tour, had been removed from the group, as well as further reports of other members seeking a way out of their contracts that have put the members of LOONA under the spotlight even during their resting time. 

Departures are never easy, and this wouldn’t be an exception. So, just in case you’re confused by the new information about the group coming out every day, here’s a timeline of what led up to Chuu’s removal from LOONA and everything that has happened since.

November 25, 2022: Chuu’s removal from LOONA is made official.

On November 25, BlockBerry Creative revealed Chuu would be “expelled” as a member of LOONA effective immediately. The decision was announced via LOONA’s official fan cafe, as reported by MBC. Per a translation by Soompi, the company alleged that they were told Chuu recently exhibited “violent language and misuse of power toward [BlockBerry Creative] staff.”

On November 28, BlockBerry Creative followed up its original statement with a clarification, also posted to LOONA’s fan cafe. “This notice was an announcement with information explaining the current situation and asking for understanding [from] all the fans who showed love to LOONA for a long period of time. It was not written with the goal of exposing Chuu’s misuse of power to the public and media,” the note reads, per Soompi’s translation. “It is, of course, natural to explain the reason for her removal, and it is the rights of Chuu herself and the staff who was harmed to provide the truth or evidence of this.”

November 28, 2022: K-media reports nine other LOONA members want to terminate their contracts with BlockBerry Creative.

Also on November 28, JTBC exclusively reported that nine of the 11 remaining members of LOONA (namely HeeJin, HaSeul, YeoJin, Kim Lip, JinSoul, Choerry, Yves, Go Won, and Olivia Hye) had taken legal action to terminate their exclusive contracts with BlockBerry Creative. The only two members excluded from the report were ViVi and HyunJin.