Geon-il [JYP Entertainment]
Geon-il [JYP Entertainment]

Geon-il, the drummer of Xdinary Heroes, has been dropped by JYP Entertainment after a recording surfaced online containing what were described as abusive remarks directed at fans.

JYP Entertainment said Thursday that "Geon-il has withdrawn from Xdinary Heroes as of today and has concluded his activities with the group."

The agency added that it had "deeply recognized the gravity of the situation" surrounding Geon-il and held extensive discussions with the artist. "As a result, we determined that it would no longer be possible to continue team activities together, and have agreed by mutual consent to terminate his exclusive contract," it said.

JYP apologized to fans for the sudden news and said Xdinary Heroes would continue as a five-member group.

The controversy began when a post appeared online from a user claiming to be Geon-il's former girlfriend. She alleged that Geon-il "cursed at fans to me every day," saying he would call her after performances and routinely make remarks such as "I want to beat them all up" and "they're disgusting." She also published what she said was a recording of the conversations. However, it has not been confirmed whether the male voice in the recording is Geon-il's.

Geon-il debuted in 2021 as the drummer of the six-member band Xdinary Heroes.

JYP Entertainment, headed by singer Park Jin-young, is well known for emphasizing character education among its artists, with a philosophy that performers should strive to be good people before good singers.


paq@heraldcorp.com