“Take all the time you need”: Moonbin’s best friend Seungkwan of SEVENTEEN sits out M Countdown pre-recording, fans send supportive messages

The K-pop fandom is in full support of SEVENTEEN member Seungkwan, who is taking time out to mourn his best friend, ASTRO Moonbin’s untimely death. On April 21, the singer’s agency announced that the SEVENTEEN member will not be participating in the group’s pre-recording of M Countdown scheduled for later in the day.

CARATs, SEVENTEEN’s fandom, thanked PLEDIS Entertainment for letting the HOT singer take care of his health and emotions. The singer’s name, alongwith his nickname, “Kwannie,” soon trended on Twitter.

Fans, irrespective of who their favorite group was, showered the SEVENTEEN member with supportive messages asking him to rest well.

K-pop fans remember Seungkwan and Moonbin’s strong bond, thank agency for letting the former sit out pre-recording

On April 20, South Korean outlets reported the devastating news of ASTRO member Moonbin passing away a day earlier at the age of 25. The cause of death is still uncertain. Police officials suspected su*cide but recent speculations about the idol having a natural death also went rampant online.

In addition to SEVENTEEN’s Seungkwan, ASTRO’s Moonbin was known to be close friends with fellow 1998-born idols, such as GFriend’s SinB and Umji, IMFACT’s Ungjae and former Uni.T member Suji.

Among them, Seungkwan and Moonbin have often showcased their love for each other in multiple ways, whether video calling each other while on live stream or tagging one another on Instagram.

On April 21, the SEVENTEEN member’s agency released a notice stating that the HOT singer was “feeling unwell” and would not be participating in the comeback pre-recording scheduled for the same day. Their statement said:

Fans immediately began tweeting in the HOT singer’s favor. Knowing the deep bond that the two shared, many gave Seungkwan affirmative words telling him to take all the time he needed to mourn the loss of his best friend. Check out the kind words fans told the singer below:

Several clips of Seungkwan and Moonbin’s interactions also went viral, as fans couldn’t stop remembering the duo’s friendship. There were many moments when the duo, either through words or actions, revealed their deep love, support and care for each other while on broadcast.

Meanwhile, the K-pop fandom also heavily criticized M Countdown for continuing with their music shows. On April 20, several Korean celebrities announced a postponement or cancelation of their activities. However, music shows M Countdown and Music Bank aired as scheduled.

A clip of M Countdown hosts Myeon and MONSTA X’s Joohoney went viral garnering over 2.1 million views on Twitter. The duo’s emotions were visible to audiences who called out Mnet for not canceling the music show.

Meanwhile, on April 21, Fantagio shared that Moonbin’s funeral procession and burial site will not be revealed to the public at the request of his family members.

About the author

Afreen has been a K-Pop Content Specialist at Sportskeeda since 2021. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, along with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. Afreen has over 4+ years of working in various positions including being an entertainment content writer with Pinkvilla’s K-pop division Hallyutalk and CineDope, and as a copywriter at Flying Cursor.

As per Afreen, she loves her work because she gets to write about the things she is obsessed with. Her thorough research and following the two-genuine-source rule of journalism helps her produce the most accurate content, along with helping her be up-to-date with the industry.

Afreen has had the privilege to interview The Rose's frontrunner, WOOSUNG, and LIONESSES, K-pop's first openly LGBTQ+ group. She is a big fan of SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, BTS, and The Rose for their hard work, sincerity, and the comic relief their shows provide.

When she is off her shift, Afreen explores the streets of Nottingham in the UK, cooks, and listens to new music.

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