Wanna One members gearing up for solo careers after team’s disbandment

SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) — Winding up their 1 1/2-year journey as the sensational boy band Wanna One, the group’s 11 members are gearing up for individual music or acting careers following the team’s disbandment this week.

The expiration of the contract with YMC Entertainment on Dec. 31 dissolved Wanna One, which brought together the 11 final winners of the second season of 2017 idol survival reality show “Produce 101″ and debuted in August 2017 with the EP “1X1=1 (To Be One).”

Two music awards ceremonies set for this month as well as the band’s final concerts on Jan. 24-27 will briefly gather them together before the 11 members finally part ways.

The first to launch a solo career will be the oldest team member Yoon Ji-sung. Before his military enlistment in the coming spring, the 28-year-old will release a solo album on Feb. 20 and act in a musical in a leading role the same month.

Another member, Kang Daniel, has also decided to debut as a solo artist, although details of the plans, including the timing, have not yet been fixed.

Kim Jae-hwan is likely to be the third to go solo as he reportedly plans to take time to write his own songs to return to the K-pop scene.