Debut Dream Shaken by Rumors… IDIT’s Park Junhwan Voluntarily Withdraws Due to Mental Distress
Park Junhwan, who was scheduled to debut as a member of the rookie boy group IDIT under Starship Entertainment, withdrew from the team before his debut. The rumors spread online and malicious comments were cited as the reasons, prompting measures prioritizing the mental recovery of the underage Park Junhwan. On the 2nd, Starship officially stated, “All rumors related to Park Junhwan circulating online are not true, and we have confirmed his diligent school life through reliable school records and testimonies from relevant individuals.” They further added, “There are accounts impersonating classmates in online chat rooms based on anonymity, and we have secured evidence to identify them as impersonators.” Despite this, Park Junhwan felt significant mental burden due to the rumors. According to his agency, Park Junhwan had been struggling with great difficulties in his daily life recently, seeking professional counseling. However, it was concluded that he needed time to recover, leading to his voluntary withdrawal from the team. Starship expressed, “Park Junhwan’s decision as a minor was not an easy one, and we respect his courageous decision,” stating, “We will spare no effort in providing full support for him to start a new challenge as an individual, not as a member of IDIT.” Additionally, the public apology letter from the rumor spreader, Mr. A, reveals the seriousness of the incident. Mr. A admitted responsibility and expressed apologies, stating, “I spoke about unconfirmed information as if it were true and recklessly made statements hinting at Park Junhwan’s private life, causing significant harm to his reputation.” IDIT, an 8-member boy group formed through Starship’s large-scale project ‘Debut Plan,’ was set to make their official debut in the second half of this year. The team consisted of Kim Minjae, Jang Yonghoon, Baek Junhyuk, Park Wonbin, Choo Yuchan, Jung Semin, Park Sunghyun, and Park Junhwan, but due to this incident, it seems that the team will start activities with 7 members.