Recently, HYBE Group and Geffen Records - the management company of the girl group KATSEYE - announced that member Manon will temporarily stop operating to "focus on taking care of physical and mental health".
This information surprised the group's fans, because KATSEYE is a rising group, operating vibrantly and having many impressive achievements in the past time, receiving 2 nominations at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Many people were even more surprised when not long after, Manon posted a personal explanation that seemed contradictory to the announcement from HYBE.
According to Manon, she is currently "still healthy" and "taking care of herself". She also implicitly implied that the pause has deeper reasons, even referring to "things happening in ways we cannot fully control".
With two conflicting explanations, netizens' speculations quickly exploded on social networks. While many opinions believe that the phrase "I am still healthy" is just a common way of speaking, others feel that the female singer wants to emphasize that the temporary suspension of activities is not really for health reasons.
Similar to international fans, Korean netizens also quickly recognized the difference between HYBE's official announcement and Manon's sharing. This topic has climbed to the top of discussions on many major forums, with mixed reactions and many speculations about the real reason behind the temporary suspension decision.
Korean audiences suspect that this time Manon is not simply "suspending operations" but will "leave the group permanently". Some audiences link Manon's case to the fact that Camila Cabello and Zayn Malik left the group as happened before.
Meanwhile, many netizens believe that Kpop groups with foreign members (not Korean) often find it difficult to maintain stability and there are many cases where foreign members leave or separate to operate solo.
In addition, viewers also questioned whether Manon was forced to leave the group due to personal scandals. Previously, in mid-February, social networks spread a series of images believed to record Manon dating tattoo artist David Enth. The female singer born in 2002 did not hesitate to give a romantic kiss to her boyfriend.
Moreover, when Manon's past images were reopened, some sensitive moments of her with other guys also caused controversy.
Although KATSEYE has a liberal, seductive image and is said to break the mold of traditional Kpop girl groups, the too bold details of some members still sparked fierce debate about the image of Kpop idols.
