Who is Ju Hak Nyeon, who had an affair with a Japanese actor and was kicked out of The Boyz?

Korean media reported that Joo Haknyeon has temporarily suspended activities with THE BOYZ due to suspicions of meeting Asuka Kirara - a famous former Japanese film actress. It is known that the male idol was discovered flirting with her at a bar in Tokyo.

The two drank alcohol and slept together. Notably, Haknyeon is said to have given a fee to Kirara - meaning this was an adult transaction.

In an official statement, the company said that after considering and verifying the incident, it realized the seriousness of the incident and that continuing to cooperate with Ju Hak-nyeon was no longer appropriate. Therefore, the company decided to terminate the exclusive contract and let the male singer leave The Boyz.

"We have seriously considered the matter and found that this is an unacceptable situation to continue trusting him as an artist. After discussing with the members of THE BOYZ, we have completed the termination of the exclusive contract and Joo Haknyeon will be leaving the group," the agency representative said.

Although it was a bit abrupt, people were not too surprised because THE BOYZ was considered a troublemaking group, with many members involved in many scandals. For Kpop fans unfamiliar with THE BOYZ, Haknyeon was naturally a curious name, causing many people to question his identity and career.

Used to be a hot member of Produce 101, turned away because of incompetence and greed

Joo Haknyeon was born in 1999, his mother is Korean and his father is Hong Kong (China). Haknyeon started his idol journey as a trainee at Kakao M (the predecessor of LOEN Entertainment). In 2017, Haknyeon participated in Produce 101 season 2 under the management of Cre.ker Entertainment. Here, he attracted the attention of passersby with his good-looking appearance and talkative personality. In the first episodes, Haknyeon was always in the top 11 debut, possessing a large number of loyal fans.

On the show, Joo Haknyeon revealed that his family has a livestock farm with thousands of cattle. His parents also own a lot of real estate on Jeju Island. Therefore, fans call him "Paris Hilton of Jeju Island".

It was thought that he would "smoothly sail" straight into the final lineup, but Haknyeon gradually lost the sympathy of fans when he revealed his high competitiveness while his ability was limited. He received negative comments because he constantly fought for the center position - a factor that scores points to get the spotlight, helping to increase personal recognition.

During the Right Round, Haknyeon expressed his desire to be the center, but leader Hong Eun Ki bluntly commented that he was not suited for the role. During practice, Haknyeon was the only member who could not keep up with the group, leading to an uneven performance in front of the coaches. He explained that he was worried about his ranking dropping, despite the fact that Haknyeon was the highest ranked member in the group.

Eun Ki then had to adjust his performance, giving Haknyeon more time to support him. Some viewers criticized Haknyeon for being inattentive and only thinking about himself, but these opinions quickly subsided when a group of fans claimed that he was the victim of Mnet 's "evil editing" to create drama.

During the concept round with the song Open Up, the "greed" controversy flared up again. Haknyeon moved from Team Never to Team Open Up with Im Young Min and Yoo SeonHo due to the difference in the number of members after the ranking announcement.

Upon joining, Haknyeon proposed to replace Takada Kenta as the center, and the group agreed after a vote. However, he soon showed difficulty in keeping up with the complex choreography and often sang the wrong lyrics, despite Kang Dong Ho's dedicated vocal guidance. During the rehearsal in front of the producers, Haknyeon still made many mistakes, forcing the entire Open Up team to hold an emergency meeting to find a solution.

Yoo Seon Ho and Im Young Min, two members who were in the Never team with Haknyeon, did not support him as the center, perhaps because they had witnessed his lack of focus before. Dong Ho initially appreciated Haknyeon's stable voice and believed he was suitable for the center position, but after 3 days of practice, he was disappointed when Haknyeon barely improved, while Seon Ho, who joined the team at the same time, had already memorized all the choreography. In the end, the group decided to transfer the center position to Kim Yong Guk, and had to redistribute the singing and choreography of the entire performance.

Notably, even at this moment, Haknyeon still asked Dong Ho if he could ask to be the center again, leaving the audience speechless. On the official stage, Haknyeon continued to make mistakes in the choreography, performing a "blow kiss" move that was out of place with the strong, masculine style of the song Open Up. At the end, netizens questioned that Haknyeon did not bend down like the original formation, accidentally covering the center Kim Yong Guk, causing a wave of fierce criticism from the online community about his unprofessionalism and attitude.

From a top contestant, Haknyeon received a bitter ending when he only stopped at 19th place at the final night of Produce 101 season 2.

8 years of activity but still dim, career ended at age 26

After finishing 19th in Produce 101 Season 2 in 2017, Haknyeon quickly began his journey as a member of the boy group THE BOYZ under Cre.ker Entertainment (which later merged into Play M Entertainment under the ONEHUNDRED label). He was the first member to be announced to join the group and officially debuted with THE BOYZ in December 2017 with the mini album The First and the title track Boy. In the group, Haknyeon takes on the roles of lead dancer, vocalist and rapper. At the same time, the male idol also participated in composing lyrics for several songs such as Just You, I'm Your Boy, Clover and Spring Now.

Although he started out as a famous contestant from Produce 101, Haknyeon could not maintain his popularity after many years of activity. At the present time, he is not even a hot man of THE BOYZ because he did not leave a mark like Ju Yeon or Hyun Jae.

THE BOYZ has a certain position on the Kpop map, being one of the most prominent 4th generation boy groups, alongside SKZ, TXT, ENHYPEN, ATEEZ... The 11-member boy group owns many notable songs such as The Stealer, Thrill Ride, Maverick, Roar... However, the storms that came caused THE BOYZ's reputation to be drowned in drama.

Juyeon was exposed for dating actress Shin Si Ah, photos of him 'smoke-blowing' were revealed; Hyun Jae was exposed for drinking with a group of female friends including a minor (born in 2006), had to retake the exam 4 times to get into the military band; Sunwoo talked nonsense on a messaging app with fans; Eric posted a photo of a 'raincoat' box mistaken for a Pepero box on Pepero Day, posting uncivilized photos...

Now, the news about THE BOYZ's private life and statements attract millions of views on X (old Twitter), while the group's musical achievements are left in the dust, no one cares. Now, Haknyeon is being accused of 'going beyond pickleball' with a former Japanese JAV actress, forced to leave the group and terminate his contract with the management company. Although Haknyeon and Kirara have not confirmed the rumors, the fact that they were ruthlessly "kicked out" by the company somewhat confirms what the media reported is partly true.

This incident is considered a heavy blow to Haknyeon's career, especially since he left THE BOYZ - the platform that helped him regain the sympathy of fans after the controversy from Produce 101. The Korean entertainment industry is inherently prejudiced against private scandals related to private life. This scandal, along with the loss of support from the company, made the path back to showbiz become zero. This is probably the end for Haknyeon.

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