The group officially debuted under Pledis Entertainment on March 23, 2016, and unveiled their official fan club name during a V Live broadcast on August 6, 2017. Their official fan club name is “HIgh”, meaning “We want our fans to stay by our side as we rise to the top together,” Kyulkyung explained.
True or Not, Pristin is Going To Disband?
Unpleasant news started going around about Pristin. There was a rumor circulating that Pristin is going to disband. A Korean media news outlet reported that Xiyeon had terminated her contract with Pledis Entertainment in late October 2018. It was also reported by some fans that Kyla, the youngest member of Pristin, was spotted working as a vendor, collecting money for one of numerous games at a local funfair in Los Angeles on October 16, 2018. Many fans were shocked with the video of her working at a carnival. The news first surfaced on Weibo as Pledis Entertainment announced that Kyla was going on hiatus for poor health. According to an official statement released by Pledis Entertainment on October 12, 2017, Kyla had to head back to the U.S. for her recovery and to spend time with her family until she was well enough to go back on stage. As you can see, some K-netizens began attacking her for alleged weight gain as she was spotted in public, spending time with her loved ones at a theme park. They claimed that she “gave up” on returning as an idol because of the Korean beauty standards which caused Kyla to take a step back from her idol career, as reported by Koreaboo. “What was Pledis thinking? Why did they debut this kind of thing? There are truck loads of prettier, skilled, and more desperate girls.” “She’s given up on being an idol ㅠㅠ” “It’s like she doesn’t want to return as a girl group… She’s fat… I’m sure there’ll be news of her departure from the group soon.” “Why did she gain so much weight again? She’s so pretty. She needs to lose weight.” “She’s totally given up on losing weight. I bet her label’s furious and rightfully so.” “Don’t return. Just live there.” “She clearly doesn’t want to return. She’s gotten fatter.”
And when the video of her working at a carnival surfaced, K-netizens quickly attacked her with hate comments once again, but others were just as eager to defend her, as reported by Koreaboo. “How could she become fat like this?” “Her life has turned upside down.” “She is still fat.” “How can you say she is fat, is she eating your family’s food? Why do you care so much about her body?” “But her face is still pretty.” ‘I heard she was sick and taking medicine, I don’t know if this is right.” “This is really the fault of the agency, just let her go.” Well, her International fans quickly defended her as they saw the hate comments for her. https://twitter.com/pastryvivi/status/1052179275812618242
— ًimani ! (@deuchae) October 16, 2018
— ᴅᴀʀᴛʜᴠɪᴠɪ | #ɪᴍ (@phvntxsm) October 16, 2018 Because of Kyla’s suspended activities with the group, on November 25, 2018, there was a deleted report which stated that Kyla terminated her exclusive contract with Pledis Entertainment and has left Pristin. But, because of the report, the rumor has resurfaced again that Pristin is to be disbanded. Some fans were also saying that Kyulkyung has been doing a lot of work in China and is not as active in Korea too, as reported by Kpopmap. Many fans are worried about the current state of Pristin. In fact, Pledis Entertainment denied all rumors connected to Pristin. Pledis Entertainment stated that all the rumors were groundless. About the termination of Xiyeon, they said that Xiyeon is currently working hard. And about the termination of Kyla, moreover, Kyla’s sister, Karisa, intervened to speak up about Kyla’s rumor. During an Instagram live session, a fan asked about it and Karisa simply replied, “It’s all rumors“, as reported by Allkpop. So, is it true or not that Pristin is going to disband? Pledis Entertainment stated it that they did not. Despite Pledis Entertainment denying all rumors, many fans are still worried even left comments such as “Pristin’s mismanagement is absolutely bizarre to me. They were primed to be the most successful post IOI group, had plenty of talent and pre-debut hype. But though a mixture of lackluster songs, promos and hiatus, they’ve pretty much vanished.” Many fans are furious at Pledis Entertainment’s lack of response over Pristin’s activities. In 2018, before Pristin V came out in May, 2018, there was a Twitter account that was belonged to a supposed friend to Pristin, which made tweets in April, 2018, such as “Don’t worry, HIGHs. PRISTIN is preparing for a comeback. It will be around May. But I think only 5 of them are promoting (Someone is in surgery for an injury)“, as reported by Allkpop. Many fans believed that the account is someone who is, in fact, close to the members. And the same account in January, 2019, tweets such as “No matter how many endorsement deals PRISTIN gets, he just rejects it and he won’t get them any events, either. Han Sung Soo, you crazy b*stard. Sung Soo, you messed up the lives of 9 people. Everyone is tired. People who are next to them are so worried. They themselves are trying to say it’s okay and have the mindset to do anything. This doesn’t make any sense. Sung Soo,” as reported by Allkpop. On February 15, 2019, Xiyeon attended the graduation of School of Performing Arts Seoul (SOPA). However, her fans are outraged with Pledis Entertainment’s treatment because she did not get the typical “idol treatment” at her graduation. The typical “idol treatment” is normally a special panel for famous graduates where the press can take pictures. She did not get an achievement award that supposedly all idols who debuted receive. She went to her graduation ceremony by taxi, without her manager. Her fans also saw her just sit in the back of the room with her friends without a manager accompanying her.
팔로우 하진 말아주세요….#박시연 #시연 #프리스틴 #PRISTIN pic.twitter.com/4Pf7LRYmsZ — 삥꾸 (@bbing9_Kyul) February 15, 2019 Since there are no official press pictures, there are only candid shots of Xiyeon by her fansite at her graduation ceremony. Pristin’s official SNS accounts did not post congratulations messages for Xiyeon. And moreover, reportedly, Xiyeon went into her own Kakaotalk chat room to thank her fans. https://twitter.com/_Prismatics/status/1096390004870238209 Her fellow Pristin members did not properly come to congratulate her and take pictures, even though there are a candid video and photos that her fellow Pristin member, Sungyeon, came to congratulate her with a very closed appearance.
— JIEQIONG PINK HAIR (@pristinfilms) February 18, 2019 Many of her fans think that Xiyeon is not an idol anymore since she did not get the “idol treatment” and she has been suspected to have left Pristin since 2018 when she opened up her personal Instagram account, but now it is gone. Also, Pristin was left out of the Pledis’s New Year’s greeting message. So many fans of Pristin, yet Xiyeon’s fans, left a comment about how Xiyeon has been treated by Pledis.
— xiyeon pics (@siyeonarchives) February 15, 2019
— Bao (@banh_baoo) February 15, 2019
Pristin Officially Disbands
On May 24, Yonhap News revealed that Pristin is disbanding. As indicated by the report, the members and Pledis Entertainment had discourses and at last settled on disbandment. Pledis Entertainment affirmed the news and uncovered that members Nayoung, Roa, Yuha, Eunwoo, Rena, Xiyeon, and Kyla have ended their agreements with the company. Kyulkyung, Yehana, and Sungyeon will remain with Pledis Entertainment. Five members from PRISTIN recently advanced as unit bunch PRISTIN V in May 2018. It has been just about a long time since the entire group makes a comeback. Pledis Entertainment’s announcement underneath: “Hello. This is Pledis Entertainment. First, we sincerely thank fans who care for and love PRISTIN. We are delivering the official statement regarding the disbandment of PRISTIN and the termination of contracts for members. The company and the members had in-depth discussions for a long time and deliberated before coming to a mutual agreement. It has been decided that with the exclusion of members Kyulkyung, Yehana, Sungyeon; seven members (Nayoung, Roa, Yuha, Eunwoo, Rena, Xiyeon, and Kyla) will have their exclusive contracts terminated as of May 24, 2019. We would like to first apologize to fans, who have always been supportive, for delivering this unfortunate news. Because this is a decision that must be made carefully, a lot of time was given in thinking about this matter. At the end of discussions, we decided to respect the wishes of the PRISTIN members and came to the conclusion of disbandment and contract termination. Members Kyulkyung, Yehana, and Sungyeon expressed their intent to stay with the company. We will actively support Kyulkyung, Yehana, and Sungyeon so that they can have stable individual activities. We will wholeheartedly support them so that they can be more active and have more diverse activities. As for the PRISTIN members who will be leaving our agency, we would like to express our deep thanks to them and sincerely support them and their new paths even though their official contracts have ended. Since this is an important and sensitive matter that required a careful decision, we sincerely apologize to fans for delivering this news late and worrying fans through this news. Lastly, we ask that fans show unchanging support for the seven PRISTIN members, Kyulkyung, Yehana, and Sungyeon as they embark on new beginnings. Thank you.” What heartbreaking news! Fans express their anger at Pledis on Twitter for treating Pristin badly:
But, Pristin never wanted to disband. pic.twitter.com/uMireZiQAm — Josh (@bboomkyla) July 4, 2019 https://twitter.com/velvetgyeoms/status/1147023599024447488
— cath ∞ pristin (@blessingnuest) July 1, 2019
Members Solo Activity Before Disbandment
Kyulkyung has been working on solo projects lately. Kyulkyung made her solo debut with the song “Why” in China on September 6, 2018. Kyulkyung released the teaser photos and the video through Pristin’s official Weibo account.
She not only made her Chinese solo debut, but has also been confirmed as one of the leads in an upcoming Chinese web drama, “Miss Truth”, that will be shown on Youku in 2019. Kyulkyung will act as the main character, Ran Yan, a modern-day forensic doctor who gets sent back in time to the Tang dynasty. This “Miss Truth” Chinese web drama will be her very first drama. Let’s hope for the best for her! On February 16, 2019, Kyulkyung posted a vlog “Jieqiong’s Vlog: Spring Special” through her Weibo official account that was translated by taq.
And a fan spotted Kyulkyung in Japan, on February 22, 2019.
— taq (@prstaq) February 22, 2019 That was all the information we could gather about Pristin’s latest news. We wish all the best for the girls and hopefully, they have a better career in the industry after this.
