ENHYPEN group leader Jungwon, alongside members Jake and Jay, publicly shut down ongoing fan protests during a recent Weverse Live broadcast, firmly establishing the group’s permanent roster. Jungwon told viewers that “ENHYPEN is six members,” directly addressing the disruptive fan chants that have plagued recent performances. He characterized the behavior of fans demanding a return to the original seven-member lineup as unacceptable. Jay reinforced this stance during a live stage appearance shortly after, telling the crowd flatly, “We are six.”
The group is currently preparing to release a new album exclusively featuring the six remaining members: Jungwon, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki.
This direct confrontation ends a four-month period of escalating tension between the artists and a highly organized subset of their fandom, known as ENGENE. The protests began immediately after former member Heeseung abruptly exited the group. When Belift Lab announced his departure on March 10, the label stated he was leaving to pursue a solo musical path. Heeseung formally re-debuted under the stage name Evan in June.
Despite repeated corporate statements that the departure was permanent, organizers launched petitions that accumulated over a million signatures. Fans coordinated physical protests at live events and refused to accept the restructured group, creating an unworkable environment for the active members.
Fandom schisms over roster changes are historically volatile in the K-pop industry. This specific conflict mirrors the intense fan disputes that consumed EXO after the successive departures of Kris Wu, Luhan, and Tao, where a dedicated “OT12” faction campaigned for years against the reality of the reduced lineup. Similar factional divides fractured the Girls’ Generation fanbase following their own highly publicized roster changes. ENHYPEN’s decision to address the protests directly, rather than relying on agency press releases, forces the fandom to either accept the current reality or walk away.