After IZ*ONE disbanded last April, everyone was eager to see what the members would do next. Much has been said about the solo debut of the group’s leader Kwon Eunbi, not to mention the rumors about Kim Chaewon and Miyawaki Sakura’s future plans. But WIZ*ONEs haven’t heard much from Ahn Yujin and Jang Wonyoung.
Wonyoung and Yujin finished first and fifth, respectively, in the survival show Produce 48, where they represented Starship Entertainment. They went on to take prominent roles in IZ*ONE, with Wonyoung as its center and Yujin as a dancer, rapper, and vocalist for the group. After the girls went their separate ways, Wonyoung and Yujin returned to their agency.
Aside from the occasional endorsement deal, magazine feature, and SNS post, they kept a low profile for about three months. Now they seem to be preparing for their own K-Pop comeback.
Starship Entertainment is set to debut a new girl group later this year, which will be led by Wonyoung and Yujin. Sources say they will be joined by some of the agency’s best and brightest rookies. Korean media outlets say this new group will be named I’VE. Korean netizens did some digging, and found new SNS accounts plus official brand name registrations that lend weight to that particular rumor.
No one knows what this new group’s concept will be or how many members they’ll have besides Wonyoung and Yujin. Starship Entertainment says it will share more details when the time is right. For now, suffice it to say that exciting times are ahead for these IZ*ONE alums.