At the moment ONF is promoting as a six-member group, but originally it had seven members. What happened? In August 2019, Laun abruptly left the group, shocking many fans.
Do you want to know where Laun is now? Then keep reading!
Kim Min Seok, known as Laun, debuted as a member of ONF in August 2017 under WM Entertainment. In the group, he held the positions of the main dancer and maknae.
Prior to joining WM Entertainment, Laun trained in Big Hit Entertainment along with the BTS‘ members. At that time, he was 14. In total, he was a trainee (both in Big Hit and WM) for 4 years.
Laun rose to prominence after participating in YG Entertainment‘s survival show ‘MIXNINE‘ in October 2017 along with the rest of the ONF members. He was included in the debut line-up, but the debut was canceled due to YG and other agencies failing to reach an agreement on promotion duration.
In mid-2019, ONF prepared for a comeback with their 4th mini album ‘Go Love’. However, on August 23, WM Entertainment announced Laun‘s departure from ONF.
The company announced that the label and Laun had come to an agreement that he would cease all activity in the entertainment industry for personal reasons.
This statement left the fans shocked, because neither the group nor Laun himself hinted at leaving. Some even pointed out that the idol participated in all of the group’s activities before leaving, including the 2019 ISAC.
Moreover, Laun actively communicated with fans through the group’s social media account until August 19. The members even celebrated his birthday (August 11).
What’s even more shocking is that the rest of the ONF didn’t know about Laun‘s departure. The leader of the group J-Us later spoke about it himself.
Since no details about the idol’s decision to leave the group have been revealed, his departure remains a mystery to fans.
A year after leaving, Laun surprised many by appearing on social media on his personal account.
On December 25, 2020, he posted an image with a long message. He wrote the following:
“Hi, this is Minseok. Are you OK? Last year I felt like I needed a break and I did it. Now I can greet you again. I missed you so much. I plan to share my daily life through social networks. I hope that we can overcome all the difficulties connected with COVID-19. Thank you. Yours sincerely, Minseok.”
Since then, Laun has been regularly updating his social media and interacting with fans, sharing his daily events with them.
He once shared that he learned how to bake Soboro bread and make waffles.
According to his posts, he seems to be learning how to cook various dishes and pastries.
As to his returning to the entertainment industry, Laun said nothing. It is not yet clear if he will resume his career or continue to live his normal life.
Jeanne © kjcpop.com