Sol Puzzle is a South Korean reality talent competition series, broadcast on MBS from June to August 2021 and hosted by singer and actress Im Yoo-na. Unlike other survival shows of similar format which involves trainees and other amateur aspirants, the show involves 28 male idols from different groups or solo singers and competing to debut in a six-member project group that is envisioned to have global promotions and a world tour that will provide them increased exposure to a larger audience. The show concluded with the creation of project boy group Solviz, which was active from 2021 to 2024.
Every year, entertainment companies from across South Korea roll out countless new idol groups in their attempts to make bank in the K-pop industry. Unfortunately, only less than half of these acts are able to receive a decent level of recognition before disbanding or fading away from the spotlight. The challenge to find commercial success is also even more difficult for soloists, who find it harder to make a name for themselves in a sea of massively popular groups. SOL Puzzle aims to highlight the talents of those who feel like they are yet to receive the platform to prove themselves as artists worthy of the public's attention. In the competition, 24 male idols from various boy groups compete to secure a slot in a six-member supergroup, which aims to create a powerful lineup out of the most talented and creative idols in the industry.
Promotions[]
The official lineup of 28 contestants were revealed in May 2021, consisting of members of boy groups AMX, Alliance, BEATGROW, ARROW, Lava.B, MXM, NEVE, PLANET, VM20, ZAXB, as well as former survival show contestants, former members of disbanded boy groups, and solo artists from overseas. The official trailer film was released on May 26, 2021, accumulating over 200,000 views on YouTube in the first seven days.
Cast[]
MC[]
Im Yoo-na
Contestants[]
Name
Association
Abe Hiroyuno (아베 히로유노)
TikTok content creator and dancer
Bong Baekhyun (봉백현)
Member of BEATGROW; former member of XB Boys; younger brother of singer Bong Min-kyu
The six winners of the group would debut as SOLVIZ with the digital single "Sunlight Aria" in November 2021. SOLVIZ officially debuted after 2.5 years of promotions in April 2024.
Liu Fengchen (3rd) signed with CNF Entertainment and made his solo debut with the English-language single album Filthy. In September 2025, he re-debuted as part of boy group I'M YOUR BOY.
Paek Beomjun (5th) made his solo debut with the single "I'm Your Boy?" in August 2024. In 2025, he participated in Spearhead Broadcasting Station's survival audition program MAGNET RISE, ultimately becoming one of the 9 debuting members of project boy group HALCYON.
Several contestants returned to their respective groups, or pursued solo careers:
Wu Qin (10th) departed from Alliance and terminated his contract with ZoneAir Music in January 2022. He signed with Beijing-based entertainment company T.D & Drip Entertainment in April and debuted as a solo rapper with the single "Bla Bla Bla", which unfortunately received negative reviews from music critics.
Han Yehchan (25th) made his debut as a solo rapper in December 2021 with the single Scream My Name.
Min Dong-jae (26th) later signed with Kang Entertainment as an actor in 2022.
Takatsuka Kaito (20th) and Lucas Zhang (28th) returned to NEVE, which later disbanded on February 1, 2021. Following the group's disbandment, Takatsuka Kaito retired from the idol industry and married a non-celebrity woman in 2023, while Lucas Zhang started promoting as an actor and model in China.
Won Kyungjun (9th) competed in Star Maker X 101 in 2022. He was eliminated in the semi-finals, where he finished 23rd place. He later debuted in boy group MERAVI under LILAC Studios.
Jeong Hancheol (12th) competed in Exo Planet 999 in 2022. He made it to the finals, where he finished 9th place and debuted in project boy group H6bble.
Ji Byeonghwi (13th) competed in Star Maker X 101 in 2022. He made it to the finals, where he finished 17th place. He debuted as a member of boy group EPHEMERA under Origin Music in 2023.
Roveno Wang (14th) competed in Star Maker X 101 in 2022. He was eliminated in the semi-finals, where he finished 28th place. He later debuted in boy group ANP under Highline Media and Shingyu Studio
Won Taehyun (15th) competed in Turbo Max in 2022, where he was eliminated in the semi-finals after ranking 10th place. In 2023, he participated in survival program Outside The Box, where he successfully debuted as a member of final project boy group Opal. Following Opal's disbandment, he signed with Big Planet Creative and made his solo debut in October 2024 with the single "Primé".
Yoon Jihan (17th) competed in Search The Cosmos in 2022, placing 5th in the finale and debuting as part of project boy group QUANTUM. QUANTUM disbanded in September 2023. Months prior in April, he made his debut with the studio album Heartborne.
Kyler Kim (19th) competed in Star Maker X 101 in 2022. He made it to the finals, where he finished 5th place and debuted in project boy group SOLUNEX. Following SOLUNEX's disbandment, he briefly retired from the idol industry, but eventually re-debuted as part of pop trio Carboncopyluv in January 2025.
Hong Heonbo (23rd) competed in MBS survival audition program Into The Spotlight in 2025, representing Bedlam Entertainment. He ranked 2nd place in the finale with 1,084,327 votes, debuting as part of seven-member project boy group Anomii.
Watanabe Reiji (27th) competed in MBS survival audition program Into The Spotlight in 2025, representing Navy Entertainment. He was eliminated in the final round after placing 10th place with 231,777 votes.
