Once dubbed a “legendary apprentice of SM”, many were surprised that Ji Hansol did not make his long-awaited debut in NCT. Where is he now?
In 2013, SM Entertainment introduced a new group of members for its pre-debut group, SM ROOKIES. Ji Hansol, who was included in the lineup, immediately attracted attention with his dancing skills and stunning visuals.
Even before debuting in NCT, he made a name for himself as a trainee with cameos for various stars’ music videos, such as NCT’s “Switch” and J-Min’s “Shine.” He also worked as a backup dancer for SHINee Taemin and EXO Lay.
But in 2017, his NCT debut didn’t happen as he left the agency for unknown reasons. In the same year, he joined J-Flo Ent and participated in the idols reboot show, “The Unit”.
READ ALSO: Where is UNB now? The boy group formed through Mnet’s survival show “The Unit”
In the middle of the show, J-FLO revealed that their company will debut its new boy group Newkidd and their promotion will begin with a sub-unit release that will include Hansol in the lineup.
In 2018, The Unit confirmed its debut lineup including Ji Hansol, and announced the debut of UNB. The group’s popularity was on the rise, but sadly their plans parted ways the following year.
He returned to Newkidd in April 2019, but due to lack of management, the members ended up being overworked, which also resulted in Ji Hansol’s health problems.
Ji Hansol from smrookies and newkidd danced to &Team’s war cry 😭😭😭 apparently he’s a dance instructor now in Melbourne, Australia after leaving Newkidd so he was teaching his class’s war cry to &team 😭 😭❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/2pI93tDdjm
– read pinned (@yumnyangotter) August 30, 2024
The team continued to stay on the sidelines, but in 2021 Hansol served early in the military and was discharged in 2022.
In January 2024, after about two years, he subtly announced his departure from Newkidd, his student stating that Hansol has no plans to return to the idol community.
He currently lives in Melbourne, Australia, and plans to settle down here as a dance instructor. There is no concrete evidence that he is still close to the members of NCT, but he has sometimes been caught playing the group’s songs.
RELATED ARTICLE: Ji Hansol from 2013 to 2022: SM ROOKIES, NCT’s “Switch”, Departure from SM Entertainment
