Following news of his departure from INFINITE and Woolim Entertainment, Hoya has posted a handwritten letter on his personal Instagram account.

His letter is as below:

“Hello, this is Hoya.
“First, I would like to apologize for causing people to worry due to the sudden news. I would also like to apologize to fans who must be tired due to waiting for a long time.

“I ask for understanding for not being able to say anything for a long time. I wanted to let you know in person but thought that an official announcement should come first.

“I have worried a lot about what words to use to convey my feelings.

“First and foremost, my fellow INFINITE members.
“To Sunggyu, Dongwoo, Woohyun, Sungyeol, Myungsoo, and Sungjong, I would like to apologize and thank once again through my writing.

“I know very well that I was able to receive undeserved love from our Inspirits despite my many shortcomings because I was with INFINITE members. I will not forget this in the future as well.
“I will sincerely cherish the warm hearts of Inspirits’ love.

“I would like to once again sincerely thank founder Lee Jong Yeob and all Woollim employees for fully supporting me when I had nothing and helped build me up to where I am today.

“Moving forward I will be modest and work hard.
“I apologize for worrying many people.

“Thank you for reading my lengthy writing.”

 

@isayhousayya �ltal megosztott bejegyz�s, 2017. Aug 30., 02:06 PDT

On August 30 (KST), INFINITE's label Woollim Entertainment issued an official statement regarding the members' contract renewals.

It seems 6 INFINITE members - Sunggyu, Dongwoo, Woohyun, Sungyeol, L, and Sungjong - have decided to renew their contracts, while Hoya has decided to depart from Woollim.

The label's statement is as follows:

"Hello. This is Woollim Entertainment.

First, we would like to sincerely thank the fans who love and cherish the group INFINITE. This is an official statement regarding INFINITE's contract renewals.

We would like to announce that as of June 9, 2017, INFINITE's Hoya's contract with this label has come to an end. We would like to apologize for delivering unfortunate news to fans, who are always cheering us on. In the beginning of June, the time frame during which his contract was coming to an end, Hoya expressed his wishes to walk a different path in order to fulfill his dreams while discussing the contract with this label, and we have chosen to respect his wishes.

Because a careful decision needed to be reached, we took ample time to debate and discuss the issue with Hoya, and thus have come to the conclusion that with his contract expiration, Hoya will be leaving INFINITE.
All INFINITE members excluding Hoya - Sunggyu, Dongwoo, Woohyun, Sungyeol, L, and Sungjong - have completed the renewal of their contracts and are preparing to regroup as 6-members, and we plan on supporting their activities both as a group and as individuals.

The INFINITE members will work harder to greet fans with even better music and activities, for those who always love and encourage them. We would like to apologize for the late announcement due to the time it took to come to this decision, and for worrying fans during this time; lastly, we ask that fans cheer for the new, 6-member INFINITE and Hoya's future endeavors.

 Thank you."

 Best of luck to both Hoya and INFINITE.

On August 30, Woollim Entertainment announced that Hoya will be leaving INFINITE.

The agency wrote, “INFINITE member Hoya’s exclusive contract with us ended on June 9, 2017 after being with us for the past seven years.”

They explained that while discussing contract renewals in June, he decided to take another path to pursue his dreams, and the company and members decided to respect his decision. “As it was a careful decision that had to be made, a lot of time was spent for consideration,” they continued.

Woollim revealed, “With the exception of Hoya, INFINITE members Kim Sungkyu, Jang Dongwoo, Nam Woohyun, Lee Sungyeol, L, and Lee Sungjong have completed contract renewals. The agency is working on reorganizing as a six-member group, and we plan on actively supporting their group and individual activities as we are now.”

They ended, “Lastly, we ask for your unchanging support for the futures of the six members of INFINITE and Hoya.”

 

이제 시작하는 금둥이들 #골든차일드#담다디#동우형이랑

Sungjong_infinite (@ssongjjong.ifnt) �ltal megosztott bejegyz�s, 2017. Aug 28., 05:47 PDT

[#INFINITE] 오랜만에 봐서 더 좋았던 MC성열😎재치있는 입담은 여전했고 미모도 변함없이 열일했던 오늘 하루😉 오랜만에 만난 #성열 군이 정말 반가웠는데요! 오랜만에 만난 성열군을 기다리셨을 #인스피릿 분들을 위한 사진! 살포시 남기고 갑니다😚 pic.twitter.com/IIkbaIAVc5

— INFINITE Official (@Official_IFNT) 2017. augusztus 28.