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Baekho after NU'EST: solo career, musicals and where he is signed now

From NU'EST's debut and the end of the group's contract to his solo debut, musicals, his exit from Pledis, "Team Baekho" and military service — drawn from 15 press reports and official notices.

Baekho (real name Kang Dong-ho) is a singer who debuted on March 15, 2012 as a member of NU'EST, a boy group from Pledis Entertainment. The group drew fresh attention after members appeared on Mnet's Produce 101 Season 2 in 2017, and since the group's contract ended in March 2022 he has worked as a solo artist and musical actor.

The question "what agency is he with now?" has no one-word answer. His exclusive contract with Pledis ended on March 14, 2025; press reports say he then set up "Team Baekho," with Prism Filter Music Group handling music, R&D Company handling management and broadcasting, and RIZZCOMM handling image and marketing. He enlisted for active Army duty on December 29, 2025, and his reported discharge date is June 28, 2027. Each point below carries source numbers.

YearEventDetails
2012NU'EST debutDebuted on March 15 in NU'EST, a five-member boy group; Pledis described NU'EST as its first boy group.1,3
2017Produce 101 Season 2 · NU'EST WJR, Baekho, Minhyun and Ren appeared on Produce 101 Season 2. With Minhyun joining Wanna One, the other four released the mini-album W, HERE as the unit NU'EST W on October 10.4,5
2019All five renewAll five members were reported on February 1 to have renewed with Pledis.5
2021Musical debutAppeared in the original musical Midnight Sun, then Altar Boyz, and at year's end was cast in the two-person musical Equal.7,8
2022NU'EST contract ends · solo debutThe group's contract ended on March 14; Baekho and Minhyun renewed with Pledis. He made his solo debut with the mini-album Absolute Zero on October 12.1,2,3,6
2024Fersen in Marie AntoinettePlayed Axel von Fersen in the 10th-anniversary run (Feb. 27–May 26, D-Cube Link Art Center).9
2025Leaves Pledis · Team Baekho · enlistsHis Pledis contract ended on March 14, the day he released the digital single OFF-ROAD. Team Baekho was announced in April, and the single RUSH MODE followed on November 12. He enlisted for active Army duty on December 29.10,11,12,13,14
2027Scheduled dischargeHis discharge is reported as scheduled for June 28.15

Who Baekho is: a member of NU'EST

Baekho's real name is Kang Dong-ho. He is a member of NU'EST, which debuted on March 15, 2012 as a five-piece of JR, Aron, Baekho, Minhyun and Ren. In its contract notice, Pledis called NU'EST the company's first boy group. Baekho wrote and composed music during his group years, including work on several songs on NU'EST W's 2017 album.

1,3,4,6,12

Produce 101 Season 2 and NU'EST W

Nocut News wrote that NU'EST spent six years after debut without a breakthrough before Produce 101 Season 2 in 2017 brought renewed attention. Minhyun was selected for the project group Wanna One on the show, while JR, Aron, Baekho and Ren worked as the unit NU'EST W. NU'EST W released its first mini-album, W, HERE, on October 10, 2017. According to Sports Kyunghyang, the unit won Discovery of the Year at that year's MAMA and also took prizes at the Golden Disc Awards and the Seoul Music Awards. In February 2019 all five members renewed with Pledis.

4,5

How NU'EST ended: the March 2022 contract expiry

In an official notice, Pledis announced that NU'EST's exclusive contract would end on March 14, 2022. According to the notice, JR, Aron and Ren would leave the company for new paths, while Baekho and Minhyun renewed with Pledis. The five members told fans in handwritten letters that they had decided to go their separate ways. The group closed out with a final album, Needle & Bubble, on March 15 — its 10th anniversary. The immediate cause of the split, in other words, was a contract expiry and individual career choices, not a dispute.

1,2,3

Solo career: from Absolute Zero to RUSH MODE

Baekho made his solo debut on October 12, 2022 — ten years after his group debut — with the mini-album Absolute Zero, led by "No Rules." He wrote lyrics for five of its six tracks and composed three. On March 14, 2025 he released the digital single "OFF-ROAD," which he co-wrote and co-composed; it became his last release under Pledis. On November 12 that year came the single RUSH MODE, with three tracks: "RUSH," released early in June; the title track "My Sign," first performed live in July; and "Through the Line" (feat. CAMO). It came out with no music video or concept photos.

6,10,11,13

On the musical stage

Baekho's stage career began in 2021. He appeared alongside SHINee's Onew, DAY6's Wonpil and GOT7's Youngjae in the original musical Midnight Sun, which opened that May at Gwanglim Arts Center. He then performed in Altar Boyz, and in December 2021 was cast as Theo, a small-town doctor, in Equal, a two-person musical set during 17th-century European witch hunts. In 2024 he rotated with Lee Hae-jun and Yoon So-ho as the Swedish nobleman Axel von Fersen in the 10th-anniversary production of Marie Antoinette. Pledis also noted his expansion into musicals and variety shows when announcing their split.

7,8,9,10

Where he is signed now: leaving Pledis, Team Baekho and military service

On March 6, 2025, Pledis said that after long discussions it had agreed with Baekho to end his exclusive contract on March 14 — closing a 13-year relationship that began with his 2012 debut. According to the Hankyung, he then formed "Team Baekho": Prism Filter Music Group for music production and label work, R&D Company — which also manages BIGBANG's Daesung — for management and broadcasting, and RIZZCOMM for image, branding and fan communication. The Fact described this as a partnership with specialists in each field rather than full solo independence. None of the reports checked for this page mention a new exclusive contract replacing that setup. Baekho entered the Nonsan Army Training Center on December 29, 2025 to serve on active duty and completed basic training in February 2026. His reported discharge date is June 28, 2027.

10,12,13,14,15

Reading paths

Deep dive · 10 articlesHow Agencies Make Idols: Big Four, Auditions, PlatformsStart from the fact that Stray Kids belong to JYP: J.Y. Park and Twice, SM and YG, HYBE founded by a former JYP composer, CJ ENM and the Mnet audition that formed Iz*One, and the fan platform Weverse. Starter · 10 articlesBetween Idol and Actor: From Nana to G-DragonFrom ex-After School member Nana's The Scandal to Son Ye-jin, Lee Byung-hun of No Other Choice, Squid Game and BigBang's T.O.P: a relay along shared casts showing K-pop and K-drama are one world.

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Sources

  1. official 플레디스엔터테인먼트 (위버스 공지), [NOTICE] 뉴이스트 전속 계약 종료 안내 (+ENG/JPN/CHN), 2022-02-28
  2. press Korea JoongAng Daily, Boy band NU'EST to disband after dropping new album, 2022-03-01
  3. press Korea JoongAng Daily, Final NU'EST album 'Needle & Bubble' to be released March 15, 2022-03-04
  4. press 노컷뉴스, '날개 단' 뉴이스트W, 새로운 출발선 앞에 서다(종합), 2017-10-10
  5. press 스포츠경향, 뉴이스트, 플레디스와 재계약 체결…“든든한 조력자이자 버팀목 될 것”, 2019-02-01
  6. press 파이낸셜뉴스 (뉴스1), 10년만 솔로 데뷔…백호, 새롭게 열 2막 어떨까 [N초점], 2022-10-09
  7. press 뉴시스, 오프라인·영화관·온라인, 동시에…뮤지컬 '태양의 노래' 실험 통할까, 2021-05-14
  8. press Korea JoongAng Daily, NU'EST's Baekho to star in upcoming new musical 'Equal', 2021-12-27
  9. press 더뮤지컬, 김소향·이지혜, 뮤지컬 <마리 앙투아네트> 10주년 기념 공연 타이틀롤, 2024-01-04
  10. press SPOTV NEWS, 백호, 플레디스와 '13년 동행' 마침표…"전속계약 종료"[전문], 2025-03-06
  11. press iMBC연예, 페스티벌 남신 백호, 작사·작곡 참여 '오프-로드' 오늘(14일) 공개, 2025-03-14
  12. press 한국경제, 플레디스 떠난 백호, 본격 홀로서기…'팀 백호' 결성, 2025-04-07
  13. press 더팩트, [TF초점] 깔끔한 단절과 '팀 백호'의 명료한 시작, 2025-11-16
  14. press 헤럴드경제, 가수 백호, 29일 육군 현역 입대…“가득 채우고 간다”, 2025-12-28
  15. press 파이낸셜뉴스 (뉴스1), 뉴이스트 종현, 군 휴가 중 백호 훈련소 수료식 참석 '특급 의리', 2026-02-03
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“Baekho after NU'EST: solo career, musicals and where he is signed now.” Hallyu Wiki. https://hallyu.wiki/en/guides/baekho-faq/ (Retrieved 2026-10-13).

How this article was made: read official statements, court/regulator records and at least two independent outlets; community posts are used only as attention signals. Written by Hallyu Wiki editors with AI assistance — check the sources. Request a correction