Jang Hyun-seung once addressed his departure from Beast (now HIGHLIGHT) through the paid communication app Fromm. He explained, “At that time, it had already been decided that I would leave the team, and they told me not to attend the fan meeting because the official article about my departure would be released soon. So I didn’t attend and went out instead. I want to clarify that it wasn’t an unexcused absence.”
He added, “The company told me not to attend the fan meeting and to film a video on my phone apologizing to Japanese fans and explaining that I couldn’t attend due to various reasons. So I did that. But it would have been better if I had stayed home instead of going out. However, at that time, I wasn’t in the mood to stay at home.”
Recently, former B2ST member Jang Hyunseung was a guest on Daesung’s (BIGBANG) solo show titled ZIP (Home) Daesung. In the show, Daesung mentioned the past conflict between Jang Hyunseung and the members of Beast, now rebranded as HIGHLIGHT: “It seems that while the other members are active under the new name HIGHLIGHT, there are reports that Beast will be recreated with Jang Hyunseung and two others.”
Hyunseung quickly clarified: “I had no knowledge of that plan. It’s true that I was still with the company at that time, but no one told me anything. I only read about it in the news when I woke up in the morning.”
Daesung continued: “The other members probably heard about it through the media too?” The former Beast member shared, “I think so. I guess the members might think I had an influence on that decision, but it’s all just a misunderstanding.”
Jang Hyun-seung debuted with Beast in 2009 and left the group in 2016. Afterward, Beast reformed as a five-member group and changed their name to Highlight. Later, Yong Jun-hyung also left the group due to the Jung Joon-young group chat scandal, and Highlight is currently active as a four-member group.
During his time with Beast, Jang Hyun-seung faced ongoing criticism for being allegedly uncooperative and rumors of discord with other members. The decisive incident that sparked controversy was his absence from a fan meeting without prior notice. Although he cited personal reasons at the time, it was later revealed that he had met an acquaintance at a cafe in Seoul on the day of the fan meeting, leading to further controversy. Jang Hyun-seung eventually issued an apology, stating that there was no excuse for his actions, and subsequently left the group.
Since leaving Beast, Jang Hyun-seung has been pursuing a solo career.
