(G)I-DLE’s Fans have been criticizing Cube Entertainment for overworking the members after various news about the group related to health.
Just days before their comeback, it was announced that members Minnie and Yuqi would be suspending their activities due to health issues, causing a sudden halt to their comeback promotions. On the 27th of January, their agency Cube Entertainment stated, “On the 26th, Minnie and Yuqi visited the hospital due to sudden symptoms of fever and migraines, resulting in their poor health condition. Considering the medical diagnosis, we are considering suspending all schedules before the comeback to focus on sufficient rest and treatment.” As a result, the album release press conference, originally scheduled for 4 p.m. on the comeback day, was also canceled. The agency explained that they would reschedule the event as soon as possible.
The concern from fans has grown due to the health issues of (G)I-DLE members, which is not the first time they have faced such problems. Minnie previously missed performances due to health issues during their U.S. tour in December last year and had to temporarily halt activities due to continued health problems, even leaving the stage during performances. In addition, member Shuhua visited the emergency room for a fever and cold symptoms and also received a diagnosis of type A influenza, leading to the cancellation of pre-recorded performances at the end of the year.
Although the new album will be released as scheduled, the uncertainty of their comeback activities has increased with two out of five members experiencing health issues.
Despite the consecutive setbacks, the anticipation for (G)I-DLE’s second full-length album is already significant, as evidenced by their pre-order numbers. As of the 24th, the pre-orders for their album “2” reached 1.8 million copies, surpassing the million-seller mark for the second time in a row, much higher than the pre-order numbers for their mini 6th album “I Trust” released in May last year, which reached 1.1 million copies. This achievement of 1.8 million pre-orders is also drawing attention as it is tied for second place among all K-pop girl groups. The highest pre-order record for a K-pop girl group is held by BLACKPINK, who achieved 2 million pre-orders for their second full-length album “The Album” in 2022. Following BLACKPINK, aespa’s mini 3rd album “My World” is in second place with 1.8 million pre-orders.
Wishing the (G)I-DLE members a speedy recovery!
Source: (A)
