ATBO

ATBO (; an acronym for At The Beginning of Originality) is a South Korean boy group formed through IST Entertainment's survival competition '' The Origin – A, B, Or What?'' in 2022. The group consists of six members: Junseok, Junmin, Hyunjun, Seunghwan, Yeonkyu, and Won Bin. Originally a septet, Rakwon left the group on May 6, 2024, due to health issues. They debuted on July 27, 2022, with the extended play (EP) ''The Beginning: 開花''.

Name

"ATBO" is an initial of ''At The Beginning of Originality'' which means the start of a dream. The name was originally "ABO", but was changed due to fan concern as the original name is a racial slur in some regions.

History

Pre-debut

Junmin and Rakwon were SM Entertainment trainees; the latter also being a former child model. While Yeonkyu was a YG Entertainment trainee who participated in ''YG Treasure Box'', but did not make it into the show's final debut lineup.

2022: Formation through ''The Origin - A, B, Or What?''

On February 6, it was reported that IST Entertainment, home to male idol groups Victon and The Boyz as well as female idol group Apink and Weeekly, was planning to debut their first boy group under the new company name in the first half of the year.

On February 10, it was announced that the members would be selected from a group of 13 trainees through a survival program called '' The Origin - A, B, Or What?'', jointly produced with Kakao Entertainment and Sony Music Solutions.

On the final episode aired on May 7, 2022, it was announced that the final seven contestants: Junseok, Junmin, Hyunjun, Donghwa, Rakwon, Seunghwan and Yeonkyu would debut as ABO, which was then changed to ATBO.

On June 13, 2022, IST Entertainment announced that Donghwa would not be debuting as a member of ATBO after his past misconduct when he was a student surfaced online. On June 17, 2022, IST Entertainment announced that Won Bin, who was originally eliminated in episode 5, would be debuting with ATBO in replacement of Donghwa.

2022–2023: Debut with ''The Beginning: 開花''

ATBO made their official debut on July 27, 2022, with the release of their debut EP, ''The Beginning: 開花'', which can be roughly translated to "blooming flower".

2024-present: Rakwon's departure and formation of The CrewOne

On May 6, 2024, IST announced that Rakwon will be leaving the group due to health issues dating back to March.

On June 27, the group collaborated with Just B to form the project boy group ''The CrewOne''. The project group then joined Mnet's competition program '' Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace'', which premiered on September 19, 2024.

Members

Current members

* Junseok () – leader, rapper, dancer
* Junmin () – vocalist
* Hyunjun () – rapper
* Seunghwan () – vocalist, dancer
* Yeonkyu () – vocalist
* Won Bin () – rapper, vocalist

Former members

* Rakwon () – vocalist, dancer

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Videography

Music videos

Filmography

Television shows

Ambassadorship

* PR Ambassador for Korea Forest Love Youth Boys (2023)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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K-pop music groups
South Korean boy bands
IST Entertainment artists
2022 establishments in South Korea
South Korean dance music groups
Musical groups established in 2022
Peak Time contestants
South Korean musical septets