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It’s official: K-pop’s famous squad, the 97 liners, includes Stray Kids’ Bang Chan. Until August 25, BTS' Jung Kook, ASTRO's Cha Eun-woo, GOT7's BamBam and Yugyeom, NCT's Jaehyun, and SEVENTEEN's The8, Mingyu, and DK were the only known members of the 97-liner squad.
An unexpected tweet began going viral on August 25. The tweet included a picture of four autographs - Bang Chan, Jung Kook, Jaehyun and Cha Eun-woo. The picture was posted by a famous Korean beef barbecue restaurant, Youngcheon Yong Hwa. In the caption of their Instagram post, they thanked the K-pop idols for their visit, saying,
“Thank you for your visit and Youngcheon Yong Hwa is cheering you on! 🥰“
Meet the newest (publicly known) member of 97 liners: Stray Kids’ Bang Chan goes out with BTS’ Jung Kook, ASTRO’s Cha Eun-woo and NCT’s Jaehyun
It is a well-known fact that the Stray Kids’ leader, Bang Chan, knows everyone in the K-pop industry. He was a trainee at JYP Entertainment for eight years before he was given the responsibility of choosing his teammates and debuting as an idol. He has repeatedly talked about being close to numerous other idols, but it was still a mystery if he was friends with any of the 97-born K-pop idols.
The autographs of Bang Chan, BTS’ Jung Kook, Cha Eun-woo, and NCT’s Jaehyun went viral on social media as no fan had expected the Stray Kids’ leader to hang out with the 97-liner squad.
There were also no hints in the past that they could have pointed towards the God’s Menu creator being a part of the squad except for a little exposure on a May 13, 2022 V LIVE broadcast.
Bang Chan had admitted that he was "close" with a few fellow 1997-born idols, and teased that "they know who they are," refusing to name them on the live stream. So while STAYs were all over the internet searching if the Charmer singer was friends with Jung Kook, Mingyu, and others, they found nothing other than him showering praise on them while playing their songs on Chan's Room.
The recent Hanwoo beef hangout autograph confirmed that the Stray Kids’ leader was indeed a member of the 97 line. The Hanwoo beef restaurant, Youngcheon Yong Hwa, also seems to be a connecting point for the squad. BTS’ RM, Yoo Jae-suk, Stray Kids, Son Ye-jin, Hyun Bin, and many other well-known stars have visited the restaurant.
Fans react to Stray Kids’ Bang Chan joining the 97 liners squad
Probably the most unexpected news that hit the K-pop fandom like a truck recently, was seeing Stray Kids’ Bang Chan, BTS’ Jung Kook, ASTRO’s Cha Eun-woo, and NCT’s Jaehyun eating out at a famous beef restaurant in Seoul.
While a get-together of idols is still a rarity, what makes the August 25 hangout able to shake things up is that the MANIAC singer was confirmed to be a part of the popular 97 liner squad. The internet went berserk over the autograph pictures, with many fans expressing their surprise.
Fans can now only hope that the 97-liner squad posts a picture of their hangout or, better yet, collaborates with each other.
