Highlight (The Beast) has been one of K-Pop’s most well-known and loved boy bands since it was formed in 2009. The South Korean group consists of four members; Yoon Doo-Joon, Yang Yo-Seob, Lee Gi-Kwang, and Son Dong-Woon. The band formerly had six members before the departure of Jang Hyun-Seung and Yong Jun-Hyung. Hyun-Seung departed from the group in April 2016 while Jun-Hyung left in March 2019.
According to the band’s former label, Cube Entertainment, Hyun-Seung left to focus on being a solo artist. The company also mentioned that there was a difference in personalities between group members that stemmed from conflicting musical opinions.
Who Were the Members of The Beast K-Pop Group?
Beast began with 6 members until Hyunseung left in 2016. Yong Jun-Hyung also left in March 2019 following the chatroom scandal.
Doojoon
Doojoon is a South Korean singer, actor, and leader of the South Korean boy group Highlight. He debuted as the leader of Beast in 2009. Before joining Beast, Doojoon was a JYP Entertainment trainee and was featured in the Mnet documentary Hot Blooded Me. In 2016, he left label Cube Entertainment along with several other Beast members. Doojoon debuted as an actor when he was cast in MBC’s daily sitcoms More Charming By The Day and All My Love. He enlisted for mandatory military duty on August 24, 2018.
Yoseob
Yoseob is a South Korean singer and musical actor. He is the main vocalist of the boy group Highlight. The singer first gained interest in music and started practicing singing after listening to Brian McKnight’s music. He released a digital single together with Dalmatian’s Daniel titled First Snow and First Kiss and participated in singing original soundtracks (OSTs) for various Korean dramas such as Happy Birthday. Yoseob attended Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts and graduated in 2014. He began his mandatory military service on January 24, 2019.
Kikwang
Kikwang is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actor. He originally debuted as a solo singer with the stage name AJ (Ace Junior), releasing his first mini-album First Episode: A New Hero on April 4, 2009. He began his acting career with a supporting role in the popular television sitcom High Kick Through the Roof. The singer has also served as an MC for various shows such as Hot Brothers and Inkigayo. He was trained under JYP Entertainment for four years before joining Beast.
Dongwoon
Dongwoon is a South Korean singer and a member of the boy group Highlight. In December 2010, Dong Woon released a digital single album Udon together with Davichi’s Kang Min Kyung. He studied in Santa Rosa, Laguna, Philippines and he trained at JYP Entertainment for two years before he was chosen to join Beast. He is the youngest of the group.
Former Members of The Beast K-Pop Group
Hyunseung
Hyunseung was also one half of the duo Trouble Maker with former Cube label mate, Hyuna. In 2004, at the age of 15, Hyunseung took part in auditions for YG Entertainment. Unfortunately, he was eliminated in the second round. On May 7, 2015, Hyunseung released his solo debut extended play, My.
Junhyung
Junhyung debuted under Cube Entertainment as a member of the boy band Beast in 2009. Before then, he joined the boy band Xing in 2007 and featured alongside Kevin Woo, a now-former member of U-KISS. Junhyung was known by the stage name Poppin’ Dragon while in Xing. He released his first solo full-length album, Goodbye 20’s, on May 9, 2018. The album debuted at #2 on the Gaon Album Chart. On March 11, 2019, Jun-Hyung was accused of being part of a group chatroom where people shared hidden camera footage and sexually explicit images. He announced he was leaving Highlight after he admitted to watching illegal videos.
Why did Hyunseung Leave?
Hyunseung trained for one-and-a-half years to be a part of BIGBANG and was featured on BIGBANG Documentary. However, he was eventually eliminated from the group. He went on to join Cube Entertainment, where he debuted in the six-piece group, Beast. After seven years, Hyunseung left the band in April 2016. Cube Entertainment issued out a statement and revealed that the singer would focus solely on being a solo artist and not continue with his group.
The company wrote that it was due to differences in personalities, which stemmed from conflicting musical opinions. This was to be expected when reports of his lack of enthusiasm during the group’s events and practice sessions started popping up. Around the same time, he also missed out on the group’s performances, even going as far as posting pictures of himself on a date with a woman when the rest of his band was attending a fan meeting.
