Weeekly's Jiyoon becomes the 3rd K-pop idol to announce hiatus due to anxiety
As the competition in K-pop increases, so does the pressure to succeed. With several idols reportedly struggling with their mental health, the darker side of the industry is once again grabbing headlines. Over the past few years, idols like TWICE’s Jeongyeon and Ateez’s Mingi, among many others, have taken breaks from promotions or other group-related activities to focus on their mental health.
In February 2022 alone, two K-pop idols - WJSN’s Dawon and fromis_9’s Jiheon - announced their hiatus via their labels citing mental health reasons. NU’EST’s Aron was also reported to be on a break back in January 2021 due to anxiety. Now, as the girl group Weeekly prepares for a comeback with ‘Play Game: Awake’, Jiyoon has become the newest idol to announce a hiatus from promotions to focus on mental health.
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Weeekly's Jiyoon announces hiatus due to anxiety
As up-close and personal as fans can get, K-pop idols are subject to a lot of scrutiny during their time in the industry. On February 28, IST Entertainment, the label that manages Weeekly's activities, announced that Shin Ji-yoon (Jiyoon) would refrain from all promotions and comeback activities for the girl group’s upcoming album, ‘Play Game: Awake’ as she was facing more issues with her mental health.
This is Jiyoon’s second hiatus to focus on her mental health, after a four-month break last year. The agency reported that “During the recent series of album preparations, Jiyoon once again complained of great tension and anxiety.” The label also confirmed that it was necessary for Jiyoon to focus on her treatment and recovery since anxiety is a complicated health condition.
[#신지윤] 데일리 뭐해요?#Weeekly #위클리 #ShinJiyoon pic.twitter.com/23jQEbf1XT
— Weeekly (위클리) (@_Weeekly) February 26, 2022
Weeekly to promote as six members
The label reported that, with Jiyoon on an indefinite hiatus, Weeekly will now promote as six members instead of their usual seven-member system.
According to IST Entertainment, during her hiatus period, Jiyoon was devoted to the betterment of her mental health as she underwent psychological treatment. Even though she bounced back feeling better, her mental health took a turn for the worse recently.
Meanwhile, Weeekly will release their first single album ‘Play Game: Awake’ on March 7, which will be the second part of their 'Play Game' series. They first released the mini-album 'Play Game: Holiday' in August 2021. The new album will mark their first comeback since.