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Home > Kpopcast > Wave of Departures in K-Pop: What’s Next for Idols and the Industry
Podcast: Kpopcast
Episode:

Wave of Departures in K-Pop: What’s Next for Idols and the Industry
Category: Music
Duration: 00:37:15
Publish Date: 2026-04-08 08:00:30
Description:

This episode Hosts Stephanie and Pd-nim explores the recent wave of departures from major K-pop groups like NCT and Enhypen, analyzing the industry trends, artist motivations, and implications for the future of K-pop and the evolving business models in the industry.


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Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to recent departures in K-pop and industry shifts

01:08 - Doki and Lehi’s relationship and their new label 808 Hi

02:52 - Spotlight on Lee Hi's solo comeback and her career background

06:03 - Soman’s solo debut and her long history with DSP

10:14 - SM’s contract expirations: Mark and Ten’s decision not to renew

11:27 - The significance of center members leaving and industry norms

12:58 - The surprise of artists choosing to exit before scandal or conflict

14:22 - The trend of contracts ending around age 30 and its industry implications

16:27 - The evolving model: from lifelong contracts to graduation and solo careers

20:11 - The Japanese idol model of graduation and potential adoption in K-pop

21:23 - Fan reactions to member departures and the resistance to lineup changes

25:46 - Industry practices: re-releasing music without certain members, revisionist history

30:02 - The trend of debuting groups younger and the decline of lifetime contracts

33:34 - Predictions for future artist projects and band formations

36:42 - Speculation on individual artists’ future directions: Lee Heesung, Mark Lee, Ten Lee

37:58 - Final thoughts: the future landscape of idols, agencies, and fan culture


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