K-pop’s perfect number? Why seven-member groups are both ideal and fragile

In the K-pop scene, a seven-member group suddenly becoming a six-member group is no longer uncommon. In fact, repeated cases of a member leaving groups that debuted with seven members have led to the coining of an industry term: the “curse of the seven-member team.” NMIXX, Weeekly and ONF all debuted with seven members but later saw one member depart. Going further back, Apink, 2PM, BTOB, Infinite and MONSTA X are also examples of teams that were reorganized into six-member groups. Earlier this month, Seo Young-eun exited Kep1er, marking another recent lineup change among seven-member K-pop groups. But perhaps the most high-profile case, at least recently, is ENHYPEN. On March 10, the group’s agency announced that Heeseung would leave the group and ENHYPEN would continue its activities as a six-member act. His sudden departure came as a major shock to fans. ENHYPEN has enjoyed strong popularity both in South Korea and overseas, and some fans staged protests near HYBE’s headquarters and the members’ dormitory, calling for the decision to be reversed. Others took to social media,

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