When questioned why they have 13 members although their name is a different number, SEVENTEEN members give the following reasoning: 13 members + 3 units + 1 team = 17. And while that sounds like a good justification these days, it wasn’t always the case! Prior to their debut, during the days of 17TV, which followed the members prior to their debut, the group had 17 members, four of whom left before the group’s career began. Here’s some background on each of those four members, including why they departed and where they are today.

Jang Doyoon (born 1995)


Doyoon was supposed to be the eldest member of SEVENTEEN, and hence the leader. He was scheduled to be in a band called Tempest before joining SEVENTEEN as a trainee, but when the debut plan fell through, he switched to SEVENTEEN. Doyoon quit Pledis Entertainment in 2014 to pursue acting, which he was more passionate about, to begin with before SEVENTEEN emerged. He maintains he has no regrets about leaving the band because acting had always been his ambition.

Yao Mingming (born 1997)


Between 2012 and 2014, Mingming arrived from China to train with Pledis Entertainment. He’s a fantastic dancer who was supposed to be in the dance line when SEVENTEEN premiered. While it’s not proven, speculations say he left Pledis Entertainment for personal reasons, as well as suspected maltreatment by the company, and that he returned to China after leaving.

Shin Dongjin (born 2000)


Dongjin was the youngest member of pre-debut SEVENTEEN, and he trained with the group from 2013 to 2014. He left Pledis Entertainment in 2014 to continue his schooling, however, there are reports that he was fired because he was dating a fan. There are also reports that he is currently a trainee for KQ Entertainment under ATEEZ’s label.

Samuel Kim (born 2002)


Samuel is undoubtedly SEVENTEEN’s most well-known ex-member. From 2012 to 2013, he studied under Pledis Entertainment and was the youngest member at the time, therefore the older members preferred to look after him. Unfortunately, he quit the firm in 2013 because his mother believed he was too young to be an idol, which is understandable given his age of 11! Samuel’s aim was to be an idol, so he joined Brave Entertainment in 2015 and debuted in the hip hop duo 1punch after a few years. Unfortunately, after less than a year of promotion, they disbanded.
He made his solo debut in 2016. as Punch. He competed in Season 2 of Produce 101 but did not advance far enough to be able to make his debut. Then, in 2017, he made a comeback as a solo artist with the song “Sixteen,” which eventually helped him achieve traction. It was warmly welcomed, and many fans had been looking forward to its arrival.

source- koreaboo