K-pop girl group Loona to make comeback next year as group of eleven

Members of girl group Loona pose for a photo on their way to a performance on Nov. 1. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Girl group Loona will make a comeback early next year. This will be their first music since expelling former member Chuu from the group in November.

The group’s agency Blockberry Creative told local press Wednesday that “Loona is preparing for a comeback, but the exact date has not been set yet.” Loona will now be comprised of eleven members.

Chuu was kicked out of the group by Loona’s agency in November after the singer became embroiled in legal disputes with Blockberry Creative since the beginning of the year. Chuu partially won a lawsuit to nullify her exclusive contract in March.

Blockberry Creative has claimed that Chuu has been verbally abusive and misused her fame against the staff. Chuu denied these allegations, and many of her fans have supported and defended her.

Loona debuted in 2018 with the EP “[+ +]” pronounced "plus plus." The group consists of members Haseul, Vivi, Yves, JinSoul, Kim Lip, Heejin, Hyunjin, Go Won, Choerry, Olivia Hye and Yeojin. It is known for hits "Hi High" (2018), "Why Not?" (2020) and "PTT (Paint The Town)" (2021).

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]