A member of K-pop boy band BLANK2Y (블랭키) was removed from the group after it was proven that he strangled his former girlfriend when she tried to break up with him.
The perpetrator of dating violence was identified as Youngbin, 21, a member of BLANK2Y, which debuted in May 2022, and a former contestant on the boy band survival audition show “I-Land.”
His agency, Keystone Entertainment, issued a notice about Youngbin’s removal from the group on Feb. 25.
“First of all, we sincerely apologize for causing inconvenience and concern to fans and many others,” it said.
It added, “As a result of checking the facts about the matter raised through an online community today, it was confirmed that the person involved in the matter was Youngbin. Accordingly, we would like to inform you about Youngbin's future activities and BLANK2Y’s future plans.”
“We have decided that Youngbin will leave the team and BLANK2Y will be active from today's scheduled performance KROSS Vol. 2, excluding Youngbin. Once again, we apologize for causing inconvenience and concern to many people, including fans, with issues related to member Youngbin. We will do our best to show Blanky growing as an artist,” it said.
On Feb. 25, a post was uploaded on a Korean online community site with the title “Idol date assault.”
“My friend was assaulted by her idol boyfriend. My friend wrote a statement on February 19 and is scheduled to undergo a victim investigation on Feb. 26. As close acquaintances, I've often seen them dating each other, and I've seen photos and videos uploaded to their subaccounts,” according to the post.
According to the person, “He is not a famous idol, but he is still loved by a small number of fans, so I thought it was very shameless, so I posted it.”
“My friend and idol member Y dated for about three months, and when my friend broke up with him, he assaulted her. He grabbed my friend by the collar, dragged her into an alleyway, took her cell phone and tried to throw it, and choked her to faint.”
“If it wasn't for the help of the people around her, my friend wouldn't be here. There is also a medical certificate of the injury, and I think it is wrong to use violence as a reason to break up. I don't think it makes sense for a person like this to continue living in the entertainment industry casually. I will post again after the victim’s investigation on Feb. 26,” the person added.
To prove her post, the person uploaded photos of her friend and Youngbin when they were dating and text messages between the two.