Bang Ye-Dam, former TREASURE member, opens personal Instagram account

Former TREASURE member Bang Ye-Dam launched his personal Instagram account on Sunday (May 7). The move came months after the singer left his previous group TREASURE under YG Entertainment. Ye Dam penned a heartfelt note for his fans as his first post on the social media site. 

Bang Ye-Dam wrote, "Hello, this is Bang Ye-Dam. First, I'd like to sincerely thank all of the fans who have waited for me and cheered me on for such a long time. I want to be able to see you all quickly, so I'm preparing diligently, and if you wait just a little longer, I'll come back with some good news. I'll return as an awesome Bang Ye-Dam! Thank you always."

Bang Ye-Dam debuted in TREASURE in 2020, following a seven-year training period. The K-pop group started with 12 members. However, Bang Yedam and Mashiho were sent on a sabbatical in 2022 owing to health issues. Later, YG Entertainment announced that TREASURE will now continue as a 10-member team moving forward, the two members are permanently leaving the group. The agency stated, "The exclusive contract was terminated after a thorough discussion with Masiho and Bang Yedam."

YG Entertainment's formal statement on Bang Yedam's departure 

The formal statement read, "Hello, this is YG Entertainment. First of all, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of the TREASURE MAKERS for all the support and love towards TREASURE."

"Today, we have an important announcement about TREASURE’s future activities. Going forward, TREASURE will transform into a 10-member group – consisting of Choi Hyun Suk, Jihoon, Yoshi, Junkyu, Yoon Jae Hyuk, Asahi, Doyoung, Haruto, Park Jeong Woo, and So Jung Hwan. After a long and careful discussion with Mashiho and Bang Ye-Dam, we mutually agreed to conclude the contracts between the two and YG Entertainment."

"We have reached such an agreement so that Mashiho can have enough time to recover from his health condition, and Bang Ye-Dam can pursue his career as a producer. Knowing that all of TREASURE’s fans have been waiting for Mashiho and Bang Ye-Dam, we are very sad about their departure as they have been with TREASURE from the beginning. We ask for your continuing support for Mashiho and Bang Ye-Dam. YG Entertainment will put its best efforts in communicating with TREASURE MAKERS and supporting TREASURE’s future activities."