The group debuted in February with the powerful title track “INVINCIBLE,” but the members have even bigger dreams ahead — starting with meeting Japanese fans at HOWLING CON.
The five members of CHASER understand how much perseverance it takes to debut in K-pop. When the group debuted in February of this year with the mini album ROUTE 01: BURNING POINT, KANGBIN, KEISUKE, REN, YUNSEONG, and SIHUN had all fought hard to land a career as an idol.
“Things didn’t happen as easily as I expected, and there were difficult periods along the way. Because I started my idol career relatively late, though, I feel incredibly happy now thanks to our fans,” KANGBIN, the oldest member, told me in a recent interview.
Each of the members, though, have taken circuitous paths to debuting in CHASER. Some trained for long periods, others debuted in other groups that failed to make it past a few years. All of the members, too, are above 20, making them more seasoned, mature and wise than they could be if they debuted as teenagers.
“I think CHASER’s greatest strength is that all five members have completely different colors and charms,” SIHUN explained. “The paths we’ve taken and the ways we express ourselves are all a little different, but when those differences come together, they create CHASER’s own unique identity. One member might bring powerful energy to the stage, another might fill the performance with subtle expressions and emotion, while another draws people in with his own unique atmosphere and performance style.”
Next month, Japanese fans will have the opportunity to see CHASER live for the first time at 2026 HOWLING CON: CLASS OF TOMORROW. The concert is an achievement for HOWLING Entertainment because it will bring all three of the company’s groups – WAKER, CHASER and ASCENDER – together for a showcase.
“I think it’s really impressive that the company itself made it possible for all three teams to come together for one concert. I’m sure a lot of work went into preparing it,” KANGBIN said.
The group’s performance notches a dream that the members have had of meeting new fans and performing their music live. While they debuted and performed at music shows with the powerful title track “INVINCIBLE”, the group has yet to hold a concert specifically for their fans. That makes HOWLING CON a unique experience for the boys.
“I’ve always had this desire to give our fans the chance to see us in bigger venues and in even better environments, so I’m really happy that this opportunity allows us to meet them in a larger concert hall,” YUNSEONG added. “I’m also grateful that, while preparing the performance with our senior and junior artists, we’re able to learn new things from one another. I want CHASER to keep working hard so that one day we can move on to even bigger stages with a concert of our own.”
KEISUKE was nervous about joining a team as the only Japanese member. He grew up in Miyagi Prefecture, and can still remember how “terrifying” the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 was. “I was a huge troublemaker as a kid,” he remembered. “I used to punch through the paper on shoji doors over and over, so I got scolded a lot.”
Joining CHASER wasn’t easy at first. Sometimes he and the members wouldn’t see eye to eye or would have arguments. “There were times when we clashed in the beginning, but before I knew it, we had naturally become a real team. There wasn’t really one specific moment when that happened,” he said. “After overcoming so many difficult moments together, we somehow became like family.”
Coming back to Japan for HOWLING CON is a special event or KEISUKE. His parents, who still live in Japan, haven’t seen him perform in person yet. “But whenever I go back home, they keep my music-show performances playing on YouTube,” he recalled. He’s excited for them to finally see him on stage.
Being around Japanese fans is also a relaxed, fun experience for KEISUKE. “When we perform in Japan, I also feel a little more comfortable because of the language,” he explained. “I can joke around more and make different kinds of jokes, so it makes me really happy.” He’s especially looking forward to sharing that connection at HOWLING CON.
KANGBIN, who was born in 1997, brings the most experience to CHASER. He has debuted in three other groups and participated in Project 7. “I became a trainee almost by chance, and while I was training, I became interested in dance. Little by little, my desire to stand onstage kept growing,” he said. Now, he realized, “I think I’ve become addicted to the stage — and to our fans.”
REN had dreamed of being an idol since he was in elementary school. “But my parents were strongly against it,” he said. “After a lot of convincing, I finally enrolled in an academy just before finishing my senior year of high school and began auditioning. I remember making it to the final rounds at some major companies or passing the second round before being eliminated.”
Still, sometimes he would wonder sometimes how things would have turned out if he had started earlier.
When REN was a member of HALF & HALF, alongside ASCENDER’s YIJIN, he traveled to Shin-Okubo. “I really liked realizing that even if you’re not part of a major entertainment company, there are still places where you can pursue your dream of becoming an idol,” he said. Even though HALF & HALF disbanded, REN still walked away feeling confident in his abilities to continue as an idol.
Similarly, YUNSEONG was a member of Kairos for a year before joining HOWLING. “I learned a lot by thinking back on the relationships I maintained with the people I trained with at the time, as well as the examples set by other trainees and colleagues whom I really respected,” he said. “Those experiences have also helped me think about what kind of role I should play now within CHASER.”
SIHUN also brings experience as a member of CMDM to the team. Growing up, he remembered, he loved singing and dancing. People would often tell him how talented he was, and in school, he joined band and dance club where he was able to perform on stage. “I also received casting offers from different places, which made me more interested in pursuing a career as a performer,” he said. "As I continued gaining experience one step at a time, at some point I became certain that I wanted to make my dream come true onstage.”
Consistently, the members told me, fans throughout their careers encouraged them to preserve. “Honestly, there has never been a time when I thought I was especially talented, so I worried a lot,” REN said. “But when I realized that there were so many fans who still liked me even with all of my shortcomings, I didn’t want to betray that support. I think the most important thing for me is that I am who I am today because there are people who like me and continue to support me.”
KANGBIN felt similarly grateful to his fans who showed up for him again and again over the years. “I couldn’t bring myself to give up,” he said. “Because they were willing to wait for me, I often thought that I needed to keep moving toward my dream as well.”
The members felt a shift almost immediately after debuting in February. “I went from being a completely ordinary person to having fans who support me and like me no matter what side of myself I show,” YUNSEONG said, a bit in disbelief. “That has given me a lot more confidence, and even though being an idol is a job and a profession, I feel happy that I’m able to enjoy my work as much as I do now.”
The members are still surprised when they’re recognized or when they see fans singing along to their music. They’re realizing now that they’re beginning to make an impact and that fans are connecting with them on a deeper level.
“The thing that has surprised me most since becoming a member of CHASER is meeting so many different people through performing, and experiencing moments when people who didn’t know us before begin recognizing us or knowing our songs,” SIHUN reflected.
The members feel they shine on stage and in variety show appearances, where you can see their playful and bright personalities. “CHASER has the kind of atmosphere you’d get from a group of high school boys hanging out together, and I think our variety-show personalities are one of our biggest charms,” KEISUKE described to me.
REN landed this by explaining, “WAKER and ASCENDER are all very handsome too, of course, but I think the five members of CHASER also look really good together as a group,” before adding, “I hope people remember CHASER as ‘a group where all five members are handsome and also really funny.’”
The meaning of CHASER’s name, KANGBIN explained to me, is that they are relentless in chasing their dreams. They don’t give up; even when every roadblock seems like it could stop them. Their name, then, is literally reflected in each member’s background. “I think CHASER became the team it is today because the time each of the five members spent walking our own separate paths eventually came together. So for anyone discovering us for the first time, I hope the thing they remember most is that we are five different people who came together and are now moving toward the same direction.”
The group doesn’t want to become complacent, and most importantly, they hope their performances and music will leave their fans wanting more too. “I hope that for anyone meeting us for the first time through HOWLING CON,” KANGBIN added, “that moment becomes the first scene in a much longer memory of CHASER.”
