Korean pop band WINNER's plan to release a new song has been put on hold due to the fragile mental health of one of its members – Nam Taehyun. His agency, YG Entertainment, said in an official statement that they were aware of his mental health issues since his trainee days but these past few months saw his condition worsening, requiring treatment.
"After discerning that it would be difficult for him to continue promoting, we have decided that his future activities will be suspended in order for him to focus on treatment," the statement said. "This has been done because the most important priority is his health. He has been staying at home with his mother and is receiving treatment instead of staying at the dorms."
As for when WINNER would make a grand comeback, the agency revealed that they are unable to commit to a timeframe. "We currently cannot predict WINNER's timeframe for their promotions, which is regrettable. However, the other WINNER members, along with YG, are putting in their best effort to overcome the first crisis that has hit the team."
The boyband made their debut in 2014, and went on a hiatus one year later to pursue solo careers. Taehyun took up a number of acting projects at the time, including MBC's web drama Midnight's Girl, SBS's Late Night Restaurant, Actor School and the joint Chinese-Korean production Under the Black Moonlight. During the time, he also released a single titled Pricked in collaboration with Mino.
Taehyun first grabbed media attention after performing as a backup dancer for the YG Family Concert in 2011.
