2011 is a year full of laughter, happiness, and unfortunately, tears. We got to say hello to many new faces in KPOP, but had to say goodbye to many old ones. Whether it be due to military services or personal reasons, a handful of precious idols left their kpop group this year, and with that, this list was created.

Thankfully compared to last year’s departures of Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yoochun of TVXQ, and Wonder Girl’s Sunmi, (and much others,) the results from 2011 aren’t that Jurassic. Not many idols seemed to have departed from their groups this year, but none the less, the members that we did lose took quite a toll on the hearts of many fans. Therefore, without further ado, let us move onto our list of precious idols.

First and foremost, one of the most popular idols to leave their group was Super Junior’s Heechul.

However, he is not on a permanent leave - he just has to complete his military duties before rejoining once more! None-the-less, many ELFs and Petals went into a sad shock when this popular member announced his departure. Heechul has built his reputation off the weird, yet hilarious accomplishments of his. He’s definitely one of the most outgoing members of Super Junior, and completely supports the Type AB blood tradition! In a few years time, Heechul will rejoin his Super Junior family once again, so let’s continuously root for his return!

Next we shall move onto U-Kiss’s Kim Kibum.

Previous U-Kiss member, Kim Kibum’s departure resulted in a lot of raging fans. His withdrawl from the group wasn’t a decision he was able to make, but more, was forced upon him. He voiced out his sadness over a Twitter update, and many fans shared his sympathy. Regardless, Kibum had quite an impact when he was with U-Kiss, and KissMe’s will definitely never forget his presence.

Seeing as how we’ve introduced one ex-U-kiss member, it’s only fair to introduce the other. Alexander!

Like Kibum, Alexander’s departure resulted in the sadness of many Kiss-Me’s across the world, however, that wasn’t the end of Alexander. Although he has left U-Kiss, he is now going to soon debut as a soloist, and has the support of many Kiss-Me’s. Let us support Alexander along his solo journey, but also cling onto the tiny hopes that one day he will be reunited with U-Kiss!

Although this is quite a new face in the kpop industry, it departed just as quickly. Allow us to introduce GP Basic’s Hannah!

Despite GP Basic being quite a rookie group, the girl’s leader, Hannah, had to leave the group for academic reasons. Although GP Basic is a fresh face, they still managed to capture the attention of many due to their young ages, and therefore, there were still plenty of sad souls with hearing about Hannah’s departure. Hopefully, Hannah will have the opportunity to comeback once more when her academic issues are resolved!

Last but not least, allow us to present you with F. Cuz’s Lee U.

Although LeeU did leave F.Cuz, it won’t be the last we see of him, due to the fact that he will be promoting himself as a soloist in the near future. Regretfully, he did leave his position as one of the lead singers in 4 member (now 3) band F.Cuz, however, fans are still grateful that he will be still promoting himself in the kpop media. Therefore, although it is sad that he will no longer be participating with the rest of his members, let us root for Lee U and hope that his solo career soars!

Honorary Mention: Bi Rain.

Although he doesn’t have a group to leave, Rain did have to leave the kpop industry for a few years due to military services. Therefore, it’s easy enough to say that Rain does deserve an honorary mention in this post!

And finally, the winner of being the best idol who left their group in the year of 2011 shall be presented to… Super Junior’s Kim Heechul! Due to the fact that Heechul is apart of famous band Super Junior, it’s only logical that he has a great number of fans. Regardless of Heechul being the most popular, the other members that had the misfortune of leaving their groups will still be greatly loved. Hopefully, next year we won’t have this category as apart of the 2011 awards again, because all of our beloved idols will stick with their groups!