Xdinary Heroes' Gunil Leaves Group, Addresses Ex-Girlfriend's Allegations

Gunil has left Xdinary Heroes after an ex-girlfriend shared recordings and messages in which he allegedly disparaged fans and fellow members.

JYP Entertainment said Gunil’s contract was terminated and confirmed that the group will continue as five:

Regarding the recent issues concerning member Gunil, our agency has deeply recognized the gravity of the situation and has engaged in thorough, multi-faceted discussions with the artist. As a result, we have determined that it is no longer possible for him to continue group activities, and we have mutually agreed to terminate his exclusive contract. Therefore, we inform you that as of today, Gunil has withdrawn from Xdinary Heroes and will conclude his activities with the group.

What Happened

The leaked recordings included Gunil complaining about fans, including:

“Yeah, everything’s shit. I just want to slap their faces.”

He also reportedly complained about fans criticizing the group’s concerts online and spoke negatively about his fellow members.

Gunil later addressed the controversy on Bubble. He confirmed that he was the person making the comments about fans and apologized:

The person who made the inappropriate remarks about fans in the recorded phone call that was made public to Villains was indeed me. Regardless of the reason, the fact that I said those things does not change. I sincerely apologize to everyone who was disappointed and hurt by what I said.

He said he had been under significant stress, including after alleged sasaeng incidents involving the group’s dorm and his personal vehicle:

Earlier this year, sasaeng fans broke into our dorm, and they even put a GPS tracker on my personal vehicle and followed me around. After experiencing things like that, I developed a great deal of fear and resentment toward certain malicious fans, and I went through a very difficult time emotionally.

Gunil said his comments were aimed at malicious fans rather than Villains as a whole:

There is one thing, however, that I absolutely want to make clear. The people I was speaking about emotionally at the time were certain malicious fans who hid behind anonymity, indiscriminately attacked us, or invaded our privacy. I was absolutely not saying those things about all Villains who trusted and supported us.

Regarding his members, he acknowledged having frustrations but said:

To me, the members were always people I was proud of, and Villains were always people I was grateful for.

Conclusion

The context explains where Gunil’s frustration came from, but it doesn’t change the fact that the comments were made or that JYP Entertainment decided they warranted ending his contract. The speed of the decision was notable, with his departure announced shortly after the controversy emerged.

At least JYPE has shown it will act decisively when one of its artists crosses the line—something that can’t always be said of HYBE towards ENHYPEN (RIP Mina Chan).