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| ⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING This page includes mentions of bullying, mistreatment, neglect, abuse of position of power, harassment and racism and may be sensitive to certain readers. |
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PALADIN (Korean:팔라딘, Japanese: パラディン), formerly known as HERO (Korean: 헤로; Japanese: ヒーロー), is a nine-member boy group under ROSE&SHIELD Entertainment. They debuted on January 13, 2023 with EP HEROES Pt. 1: The Beginning.
Originally debuting under GALAXY Entertainment, the group initially debuted as a fifteen-membered piece under the name HERO before changing upon new management.
History[]
2020-2023: Origin & Pre-Debut[]
Immediately upon its establishment in 2020, GALAXY Entertainment began to work towards the debut of its premiere boy group. From scouts scouring Korea and beyond to concept managers exploring the multiple directions the boy group's concept could go, every facet of the company was invested in the debut of their first artist.
The process of selecting and signing prospective trainees was a slow and arduous one, but rewarding all the same; by April, the company's trainee roster had grown enough to facilitate the creation of Galaxy Rookies and their respective social media accounts. Separate from debuting boy group 3ION who had been transferred from CEO Hwang Hong-Pal's previous company and prospective co-ed group The INTERDIMENSIONAL Project, Galaxy Rookies would maintain a large social media presence in order to entice future fans.
After four months of faceless trainees being showcased on the Galaxy Rookies social media accounts, the first generation of trainees were introduced to the public on August 1, 2020. These trainees - Im Joo-Hyung, Baek Hyun-Woo, Kadotani Seiji, Kim Min-Ki and Koo Byun-Ho - were billed as being the best trainees within the company, having occupied the top five ranks in recent monthly evaluations. Two members were revealed in the months following; Maeng To-Hyun and Yanekawa Kazuta in September, David Kim and Kim Eui-Min in October, Honchigawa Yoshi and Zhoi Xiao Yi in November and, in December, Tyler Alexander King and Hamada Taizo were introduced. Following the complete introduction of the thirteen-member line-up, Galaxy Rookies began to frequently post dance and vocal covers that were accompanied by vlogs that showcased the trainees' lives.
On January 5, 2021, GALAXY Entertainment confirmed its intentions to debut their first musical act - a boy group - within the next two years. In the same announcement, it was alluded that the ensemble would be made up of the members of Galaxy Rookies. CEO Hwang Hong-Pal promised that the trainees were hard at work and that the company was intentionally withholding the debut in order to perfect all facets. He reaffirmed that the group would be GALAXY Entertainment's first 'true' debut as 3ION had been of his previous company and that the group would receive the fanfare of a first company debut.
On March 15, 2021, a new initiative was introduced to the public via the Galaxy Rookies Instagram account. Titled "SOLO DEBUT PROJECT", the initiative aimed to showcase the training of the thirteen trainees more closely over three months wherein the public could vote for their favourite trainee, culminating in the trainee with the highest votes debuting as a soloist ahead of the whole group's formal debut. Marketed as generating pre-debut interest for the team, the project ran until July 2021 and ended with the final rankings being published across Galaxy Rookies and GALAXY Entertainment social media accounts. On July 16, 2021, Tohyun was revealed to have received the most votes and debuted on August 6, 2021, with the digital single "KILLA".
The initiative, deemed a success, saw an increased use of public voting within the Galaxy Rookies fandom - often to determine the line-ups for covers and days out in vlogs.
On November 9, 2022, GALAXY Entertainment held a reveal showcase for the unnamed boy group. Having nicknamed the team Galaxy Boys affectionately, fans were invited both in person and through various livestreams to meet the members. During the showcase, it was revealed that the group's name would be HERO and that the official fan club name would be GAL♡XY to commemorate the group's extensive pre-debut period. Hwang Hong-Pal also revealed that the group looked to add two more members to round up to a fifteen member line-up and that the group intended to be self-producing. Hwang mentioned that many trainees from other entertainment companies had been contacted and that, at the time of the showcase, none had signed with GALAXY Entertainment. At the end of the showcase, it was confirmed that HERO would debut on January 13, 2023, with intentions of promoting in the Japanese and Western music markets alongside domestic promotions. Following the showcase, the highly followed Galaxy Rookies accounts were rebranded to HERO in order to retain the curated social media presence.
On December 19, 2022, Fabian Song was announced as the fourteenth member of HERO through a reveal on the HERO Instagram page. His stage-name, Daebyulwang, was revealed the following day through a story.
On December 23, 2022, the fourteen-member line-up released a special pre-debut Christmas single, "HEROes' Christmas."
On January 5, 2023, Seong Soo-Hyun was revealed to be the fifteenth and final member of HERO, eight days before the scheduled debut. His stage-name, Roeun, was revealed the same day through a story.
Members' Pre-Debut Activities[]
All of the members bar Daebyulwang and Roeun were part of Galaxy Rookies from 2020-2023.
From 2018-2020, Daebyulwang was a member of DEMIGXDS - Olympic Records' pre-debut trainee team. He was known to be a member of the pre-debut team MORPHEU5 and a known prospective member of After School Club.
From 2021-2022, Roeun was a member of Vistamp Rookies. He was confirmed to be among the debuting line-up of Vistamp Entertainment's latest boy group on December 27, 2022. As a confirmed member of the planned group, Roeun was to participate in the audition program Road to ZERO however left after departing the agency on January 4, 2023.
2023 (1): Debut with HEROES Pt. 1: The Beginning, HEROES Pt. 2: Arrival[]
The group made their official debut on January 13 with the release of HEROES Pt. 1: The Beginning. At their debut showcase, it was confirmed that the release would be the first instalment in a trilogy, later called the HEROES ERA trilogy. The title track, "Breakdown (BOOM BOOM TA)", was produced by Joohyung, written by Woohyun and choreographed by Yoshi. The album performed modestly on the charts, peaking at #7 on the Circle Album Chart with 24k accumulated copies sold. The title track itself peaked at #29 on the Digital Circle Chart.
From February 8 through February 12, the group partook in HYPECITY Live 2023 : HYCU Express @ UK, serving as the concert's opening act.
On April 18, GALAXY Entertainment announced that HERO would make a summer comeback in either June or July with another self-produced, self-choreographed and self-written mini album. HERO made their comeback with the second instalment of the HEROES ERA trilogy on June 27 with the mini-album HEROES Pt. 2: Arrival. Headed by title track "Adrenaline", the album generated 105k accumulated sales, peaking at #2 on the Circle Album Chart and being the first instance of HERO's commercial breakthrough.
Throughout the month of July, accompanying the promotions for "Adrenaline," HERO held various fanmeets across Seoul as part of the HERO Mini Fanmeeting.
2023 (2): Bullying allegations, Mistreatment allegations, Multiple members' lawsuits and Departure from agency[]
On August 20, an anonymous letter was sent to Star News alleged that bullying was prevalent within the group. The letter, sent in by a GALAXY employee, detailed that the foreign members of the group were constantly ostracised and ridiculed by the Korean members. The letter claimed that parts were deliberately withheld from Seiji, Yoshi, Kazuta, Xiao, Taizo and S and that there were constant attempts to replace Yoshi as the group's choreographer with Joohyung. Interestingly, however, the source further asserted that the Korean members' actions were a response to previous hostilities that the foreign members had initiated. Through their own attempts at overshadowing the Korean members and the formation of an 'I-Line clique,' it was asserted that the blame needed to be shifted towards the foreign-born members. Star News' report on the matter quickly spread across social media and led to the polarising of the group's fandom into two predominant factions; K-netizens who defended the Korean members and I-netizens who took the side of the foreign members. Think pieces and tweets detailing 'evidence' of the bullying on both sides quickly took over most of the conversation regarding the controversy. A small minority of GALAXYs asserted that many of the instances of 'bullying' were taken out of context and that a majority of the group had lived together for three years and had developed close relationships.
As a result of the article, all fifteen of the members' schedules were suspended as GALAXY Entertainment aimed to investigate the issues internally. On August 27, CEO Hwang Hong-Pal released a personal statement that confirmed all allegations stemmed from the foreign members' bullying actions and, as a result, they would be removed immediately from the group and that HERO would promote as nine member group moving forward consisting of the ethnic Koreans. In the same statement, the company alleged that the employee was a Japanese interpreter whose full intentions were to sow discord into the group. In the wake of Hwang's statement, the group's brand ranking dropped with many revoking their fan club memberships and the group as a whole being labelled a 'bullying cesspit.'
On August 28, co-leaders Joohyung and Woohyun released two statements through their legal representative; one that refuted the allegations of the anonymous employee and the other against Hwang Hong-Pal himself. In the first statement, they asserted that there had never been any animosity between the members of different nationalities and that HERO was a group built upon strongly forged relations. They debunked the original claims of the letter; parts to the songs were allocated based on the feel of the track itself and members' own wishes, as well as the assertion that Yoshi was HERO's primary choreographer. Though the statement apologised if any 'moments between brothers' had been taken out of context, but reasserted that the members had a strong bond.
In the second statement, Joohyung and Woohyun claimed that Hwang Hong-Pal had called a meeting between the nine Korean members of HERO on July 15 that purposefully excluded HERO's foreign line. In the meeting, Hwang tried to claim instances to the Korean members wherein the foreign members had mistreated them. Citing care for domestic talent, Hwang asserted that if the members ousted the foreign members, he would ensure that no negative media attention would be drawn to them whilst promising bigger pay cuts. Furthermore, Joohyung and Woohyun claimed that Hwang suggested that if they created a large enough commotion, he would establish a subsidiary for HERO for their 'successful redebut.' In a third statement released separately onto HERO's social media, Joohyung and Woohyun accused Hwang Hong-Pal of harassing the foreign members of HERO and failing to ensure the protection of the group's underage members. The statement was reposted by many of the families of the members despite being taken down on the HERO accounts.
A fourth and final statement was released through the Hyobeon Law Firm on the same day of August 28 that the members and their parents had filed a lawsuit against GALAXY Entertainment to suspend their exclusive contracts, citing violation of contract, inadequate living conditions - fifteen members to a three-bedroom dorm - and the inability of the protection of younger members alongside aggravated assault during their trainee days. Additionally, it was claimed through the statement that the members were subject to high levels of mental distress due to the large social media presence during their training; it was alleged that the members were never told all twelve of them would debut and were led to believe that their spot in the line-up was dependent on how many votes they got on the social media accounts. Likewise, many basic privileges and amenities were allocated to members based on their social media presence and how many prospective fans they brought in, not based on treating each member equally. An additional discrimination lawsuit was filed by the six foreign members and their parents.
The four statements, much like the initial Star News article, spread across social media like wildfire and allowed for another influx of think pieces and claims of evidence. Despite the claims made, public opinion remained divided with a large number of the members continuing to be hated on. On August 30, Han Ji-Seon, a former member of The INTERDIMENSIONAL Project and close friend of the group members, released her own statement on Instagram that firmly stated she believed the members of HERO and that they were undeserving of the public's reaction. Through a series of transcripts and audio recordings, she revealed that the claims of competitive, public voting for everything to do with HERO's trainee lives were true as Hwang Hong-Pal had attempted to do something similar with The INTERDIMENSIONAL Project and that the mental distress suffered by HERO was common knowledge within the company. She further asserted that the members had stuck by each other, citing similar harassment from Hwang towards the foreign members of The INTERDIMENSIONAL Project and that the Korean members of HERO protected their foreign-born members where possible.
Throughout the month of September, the Seoul Central District Court investigated the claims in conjunction with the lawsuits. Multiple times throughout the month, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency was seen entering both the GALAXY Entertainment headquarters and the building alleged to be the site of HERO's dorm. Although CEO Hwang Hong-Pal initially denied the allegations and announce intent to file counter-lawsuits, by September 25, irrefutable evidence had been collected by the Seoul Metropolitan Police from the GALAXY Entertainment headquarters alongside testimonies from staff that worked closely with HERO that irrefutably implicated him and proved his guilt.
On September 30, HERO won their lawsuit to terminate their exclusive contracts with GALAXY Entertainment. In a final statement through Hyobeon Law Firm, HERO stated their intent to remain as a group and find a new home agency.
2023 (3): Transfer to ROSE&SHIELD Entertainment, name change & line-up changes and Stage name changes[]
On October 7, ROSE&SHIELD Entertainment CEO Kwon Chan-Wook announced that HERO had signed an exclusive contract with the company. Kwon, a frequent collaborator on the group's first two albums, had previously served as a mentor to the self-production members of the group and was sought out amongst their legal disputes as an unbiased third party.
On October 10, it was announced that HERO would be renamed to PALADIN in order to 'start anew with happier memories.' It was also announced that the group would undergo line-up changes; it was revealed that Daebyulwang had not signed with ROSE&SHIELD and would be leaving the group and that Xiao, Euimin, Taizo and S - the youngest members of the group - would be transferred to the trainee tracks after careful discussions with the idols and their parents. Byunho was also revealed to have returned to trainee status. Kwon Chan-Wook confirmed that the nine-member line-up would be the final one moving forward and that the group would comeback in the following year.
Former member Byunho left ROSE&SHIELD Entertainment at some point during November. On November 16, it was announced that Minki would be leaving the group. In a handwritten letter to Instragram, Minki admitted that he had fallen out of love with the idol lifestyle following the whole ordeal as HERO and, though optimistic PALADIN could restore the love, he needed a break from the industry. The following day, ROSE&SHIELD Entertainment confirmed that the company was in the process of selecting a trainee to join PALADIN as the new ninth and final member.
Between November and December, multiple members confirmed their changed stage names ahead of future promotions; Woohyun to Baekhyun, Tohyun to 2HYUN and Taehyun to Iggy.
2024: Addition of Naeheon, Epochal, Hey! Hey!, "Boys Love Girls", "20/25"[]
On January 14, through a vlog released to the official PALADIN YouTube channel, ROSE&SHIELD trainee Naeheon was introduced as the newest member to the team.
On January 28, ROSE&SHIELD Entertainment announced that PALADIN would make their first comeback following their legal troubles in early March. They confirmed that, though the release was intended to be separate, it could be seen as a conclusion on the HEROES ERA trilogy. PALADIN made their comeback/re-debut on March 5 with the mini-album Epochal. Headed by title track "Hello," the album generated 205k accumulated sales, peaking at #1 on the Circle Album Chart which signified a continuation of the public love they had before. "Hello" peaked at #1 on the Circle Digital Chart.
On July 1, ROSE&SHIELD Entertainment confirmed that PALADIN would made their comeback with the single album Hey! Hey! later that month. Headed by the title track of the same name, Hey! Hey! was released on July 28. With accumulated sales of 210k, the album peaked at #1 on the Circle Album Chart. The "Hey! Hey!" single itself peaked at #1 on the Circle Digital Chart.
As a commemorative one year anniversary to signed artists of ROSE&SHIELD Entertainment, PALADIN released the special digital single "Boys Love Girls" on October 10. A mirror to labelmate Kaleidoscope's "Girls Love Boys," the group returned to its self-producing roots.
On December 23, it was announced that PALADIN would be releasing their second special digital single "20/25" on December 30.
2025: H3ART[]
On January 26, ROSE&SHIELD announced that the group would be making their comeback in February with their first full studio album. Preceded by the pre-release "BOYFRIEND" on February 14, H3ART was released on February 28 headed by the title track "Just Right!"
Members[]
| Name | Nationality | Colour | Position(s) | Years active | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Korean | ||||||
| Joohyung | 주형 | Korean | Co-Leader, Main Rapper, Lead Dancer | 2023-present | |||
| Baekhyun | 우현 | Korean | Co-Leader, Main Vocalist, Center, Songwriter | 2023-present | |||
| 2HYUN | 투현 | Korean | Lead Vocalist, Face of the Group | 2023-present | |||
| Seiji | 세이지 | Japanese | Lead Dancer, Vocalist | 2023-present | |||
| Naeheon | 내헌 | Korean | Lead Vocalist | 2024-present | |||
| Yoshi | 요시 | Japanese | Main Dancer, Lead Rapper, Choreographer | 2023-present | |||
| Iggy | 이기 | Korean-American | Main Vocalist, Lead Dancer | 2023-present | |||
| Kazuta | 카즈타 | Japanese | Main Rapper, Lead Dancer | 2023-present | |||
| Roeun | 로은 | Korean | Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist, Maknae (2023-present) | 2023-present | |||
| Former | |||||||
| Daebyulwang | 대별왕 | Korean-Canadian | N/A | Lead Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Face of the Group, Center | 2023 | ||
| Xiao | 샤오 | Chinese | N/A | Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist, Visual | 2023 | ||
| Minki | 민기 | Korean | N/A | Lead Vocalist | 2023 | ||
| Byunho | 변호 | Korean | N/A | Main Dancer, Lead Rapper | 2023 | ||
| Euimin | 의민 | Korean | N/A | Lead Vocalist, Lead Dancer | 2023 | ||
| Taizo | 다이조 | Japanese | N/A | Lead Dancer, Vocalist, Rapper | 2023 | ||
| S | 에스 | Japanese-American | N/A | Main Vocalist, Dancer, Maknae (2023) | 2023 | ||
BAEKHYUN · 백현 |
SEIJI · 세이지 |
NAEHEON · 내헌 |
YOSHI · 요시 |
KAZUTA · 카즈타 |
ROEUN · 로은 |
Timeline[]
A blue vertical line indicates a mini-album release, a red line indicates a full album release and a green line indicates a single release in some capacity.
Former Members Aftermath[]
- Xiao, Euimin, Taizo and S returned to being trainees at ROSE&SHIELD Entertainment under their birthnames Zhoi Xiao Yi, Kim Eui-Min, Hamada Taizo and Tyler Alexander King
- Byunho later joined Shingyu Studio and debuted as a member of ANP.
- Daebyulwang later joined cosmichaus and debuted as a member of seVenwrld under his birth name Fabian.
- Minki left the entertainment industry and has enrolled in university
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||
| H3ART |
|
TBA |
|
Mini albums[]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||
| HEROES Pt. 1: The Beginning |
|
7 |
|
| HEROES Pt. 2: Arrival |
|
2 |
|
| Epochal |
|
1 |
|
Single Albums[]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||
| Hey! Hey! |
|
1 |
|
Singles[]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | KOR Billb. | JPN | JPN Hot | JPN Dig. | US | US World | WW | |||
| Korean | ||||||||||
| "HEROes Christmas" | 2022 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N/A |
| "DOOM DOOM TA" | 2023 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | HEROES Pt. 1: The Beginning |
| "Adrenaline" | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | HEROES Pt. 2: Arrival | |
| "Hello!" | 2024 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Epochal |
| "Hey! Hey!" | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hey! Hey! | |
| "Boys Love Girls" | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | N/A | |
| "20/25" | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | N/A | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||
Filmography[]
Talk shows[]
- Coffee with REVICE (YouTube, MBS, 2022-present) - ep.2 (Tohyon), 31 (Joohyung)
Reality shows[]
- HEROES: The Diary (YouTube, 2022)
Concerts[]
Showcases[]
- HEROES: The Reveal (2022)
Concert participation[]
- Kōhaku Uta Gassen (2022)
- HYPECITY Live 2023: HYCU Express @ UK (2023)
Trivia[]
- Roeun is a former Vistamp Entertainment trainee and a pre-debut member of ZERO'ONE.
- He is the only member of the original HERO line-up to not be featured on the group's first digital single.
- Naeheon is the only member to have not been within the HERO line-up, having joined the group after their signing to ROSE&SHIELD Entertainment.
- He is the only member to have trained at ROSE&SHIELD Entertainment.