CLC member Kwon Eun-bin announces sudden retirement from entertainment… “I’ll leave behind a relationship built on appearances and live as a regular person”

Kwon Eun-bin (26), a singer and actress who previously rose to prominence as an actor through dramas after coming from girl group CLC, said she is leaving the entertainment industry to return to the life of an ordinary member of the public.

■ “I’ll leave behind human relationships that are nothing but appearances, along with emptiness and anxiety” Kwon shares her thoughts

On the 16th, Kwon Eun-bin posted a long letter through her official SNS channel and announced her sudden retirement.

Kwon Eun-bin said, “After spending a long time weighing it deeply, I decided to live as an ordinary person rather than a life under dazzling spotlights.” She went on to speak candidly about the deep mental pain that had been hidden behind public love during her time in entertainment. She said, “While I was active, I’ve been tormented by nonstop emptiness about the present and the future and by severe anxiety. Now, I want to spend my time fully on my future—something that I feel is meaningful and truly makes me happy—by leaving behind everything negative that has been eating away at me, including times that felt meaningless and human relationships that were nothing more than appearances.” She clearly laid out why she decided to retire.

Her decision to retire appears to be very firm. Kwon Eun-bin added, “Starting from this declaration, I will not receive any questions, including requests for personal contact or questions about my reasons for retiring.” With that, she made clear her intention to completely cut off not only entertainment connections but also private communication.

■ From the youngest on “Produce 101” to a warrior of “After School War Activity”… a dazzling decade

Born in 2000, Kwon Eun-bin participated as a trainee from Cube Entertainment in Season 1 of Mnet’s legendary idol survival program 'Produce 101' in 2016, making a strong impression on the public with her unmistakable visuals, her tall height, and her cute image as the youngest member.

That same year, before the show ended, she officially debuted in the music industry after joining midseason as a new member of girl group CLC. She released numerous hit songs, including ‘Dokkaebi,’ ‘BLACK DRESS,’ ‘ME (美),’ and ‘HELICOPTER,’ and won the love of a global fan base.

■ From deleting her profile to her final stage that was already scheduled… meticulous retirement preparations

Kwon Eun-bin’s retirement was confirmed to be a step-by-step process prepared thoroughly over a long time, not an impulsive decision. CLC previously followed the process of wrapping up official team activities in 2022, and Kwon Eun-bin recently reached the end of her exclusive contract without renewing it with her former agency, Cube Entertainment. Right after her contract expired, she began erasing traces by directly requesting the deletion of even her official person profile that had been listed on a major portal site.