If you were among the millions of viewers who tuned in to I-LAND, you’ll know all about Hanbin. He grew up in Hanoi, Vietnam. Before he appeared on the show that gave us ENHYPEN, he had been training for 11 months.  Prior to that, he was the founder and leader of C.A.C., one of the most popular dance crews in Vietnam. Hanbin’s dancing prowess was such that he won “Best Player” at Hanoi K-pop Random Dance in Public 2018.

He was first introduced to the public on June 2, 2020, when the second batch of I-LAND applicants was revealed. Once the show started airing, his determination and effervescence captured people’s hearts. His first performance—a cover of the SuperM hit “Jopping” with fellow applicants Ni-ki and Nicholas—was well-received. Hanbin made it all the way to the Top 10 before he was eliminated.

When the show ended, Hanbin signed with BELIFT LAB as a trainee. He held his first online fan event on October 31, 2020, and opened for the various BigHit Labels artists who participated in the agency’s 2021 New Year’s Eve Live show. Hanbin impressed those watching from their homes with a powerful performance of a song from I-LAND.

Based on that, his fans started thinking that BELIFT LAB had big plans for the Vietnamese trainee. So when the label announced that he chose to leave the company, they were surprised. Their hopes of seeing Hanbin debut with the other I-LAND trainees who didn’t make it into ENHYPEN were dashed.

“Our company has been discussing with Hanbin his dreams and goals for a considerable amount of time. After careful deliberation, Hanbin made the decision to begin forging a new future for himself,” the agency said in a statement posted to its official Twitter account.

“We will always cherish the time we were able to share with Hanbin and will continue to cheer him on for his next journey. We ask that you please keep showing him your interest and love.Thank you.”

Hanbin eventually signed with Yuehua Entertainment, the agency of girl group EVERGLOW and former IZ*ONE member Choi Yena. A statement made by Yuehua Entertainment shortly after word got out said, in part, “We are very happy to have Hanbin as a new member of our family, with his abundant promise and potential.”

Hanbin’s decision to leave BELIFT LAB for Yuehua Entertainment makes sense. Its ties to BigHit Music (the label behind the careers of BTS and Tomorrow x Together) and HYBE Corporation aside, the former only just launched a boy group. The bulk of its resources are currently devoted to ENHYPEN, so if Hanbin had stayed there, he would’ve had to wait a long, long time for a chance to debut. Signing with an agency where he may be able to debut sooner was a smart move on his part.

At the moment, rumor has it that Hanbin is preparing to debut in Yuehua Entertainment’s upcoming boy group called TEMPEST. Ahn Hyeong-seop and Lee Eui-woong (who represented their agency on Produce 101 Season 2 in 2017) will reportedly debut alongside him. They have been active as a duo, but their agency decided to add them to the lineup.

Whatever happens, Hanbin definitely has a bright future ahead.