X1 fans refuse to stay silent over disbanded K-pop boy band as support goes from strength to strength
- X1 split up after producers of South Korean reality show Produce X 101 were accused of manipulating votes that chose the final band members
- For two months X1 fans, also known as One Its, have been protesting the decision and demanding they get back together
The disbandment of boy band X1 remains one of the K-pop industry’s most heavily debated topics – and their fans aren’t ready to give up on the guys just yet.
After being created on South Korea’s singing competition Produce X 101 and creating one of last year’s bestselling albums, X1 were embroiled in controversy after it emerged that the show’s producers manipulated the final results in favour of certain contestants and their representative companies. The news led to a lengthy hiatus for the band and, ultimately, an announcement that the band had been dissolved on January 6.
X1 fans, who are known as One Its, have since held multiple demonstrations to win back the group as they feel the 11 members – Kim Yo-han, Kim Woo-seok, Han Seung-woo, Song Hyeong-jun, Cho Seung-youn, Son Dong-pyo, Lee Han-gyul, Nam Do-hyon, Cha Jun-ho, Kang Min-hee and Lee Eun-sang – did not deserve the punishment.
The fans have continued to put pressure on CJ ENM, which is behind the channel Mnet that aired Produce X 101, and the various representative labels for the members. In one of the earliest, most impressive efforts, more than 1,000 One Its from around South Korea and nearby countries protested in front of the CJ ENM building in Seoul, demanding for their voices to be heard.
While there’s been no indication that X1 will return, fans are still pushing for action and escalating their protest with new hope that if the 11 original members cannot come together once again, then perhaps part of the group can reform as a separate unit.
Earlier this month, rumours began circulating in Korean media that a group consisting of X1 members was being created via three to four of the agencies that represent various X1 members.
