K-Pop Group Pentagon Is Ready To Return To Their ‘Universe’

Pentagon 10th Anniversary Single (Courtesy of Naked Inc)

NAKED INC

K-pop veterans Pentagon (PTG) celebrated their 10th anniversary with a comeback that the UNIVERSE has been waiting for.

Literally – their fandom is called UNIVERSE.

Pentagon – members Jinho, Hui, Hongseok, Shinwon, Yeon One, KINO, and Wooseok – have released new music after nearly three years, following “With Universe” in 2023. Their new track, “Coward,” commemorates their 10th anniversary since their debut in October 2016. Written and produced by KINO (alongside Kim Euna and Baek Eun-byul), through his label Naked Inc., “Coward” tells the emotional journey of hesitation and finding courage to reunite with someone from the past.

Jinho of Pentagon (Courtesy of Naked Inc)

NAKED INC

It’s as if the song represents Pentagon’s own arduous journey through obstacles to reunite with their fans. The project took nearly two years to come to fruition due to contract agreements and schedule adjustments.

“There were far more challenges than we could have ever anticipated,” Hongseok says over Zoom from Seoul. “All seven of us were under different agencies, so everything from coordinating group schedules to securing the trademark rights for Pentagon was far from easy. Even the smallest thing, like choosing hair color, we carefully sorted it out. Each member had committed projects, so we had to keep a certain style.”

KINO sticks his head into the frame from behind Hongseok, showing off his bright red hair, and shouts, “Hello!”

Hongseok laughs, “We looked around the room and decided to push KINO to go with the [boldest] color since he had the most flexibility at the time.”

Hui of Pentagon (Courtesy of Naked Inc)

NAKED INC

Jinho, Hongseok, and KINO were on hand to talk about the project, as they were the most fluent in English, but would sometimes switch to Korean throughout the conversation. KINO preferred Jinho and Hongseok to lead the conversation, but would add his insight now and then.

It was lovely to see the trio together as they’ve all remained close throughout their own individual projects. It’s hard not to, as they’ve been through so much since their debut ten years ago. The group formed after competing in the music survival series, Pentagon Maker. Originally with 10 members, Pentagon’s self-titled debut EP charted in the Top 10 of the Korean and Japanese music charts, resulting in the group being named in Billboard’s 10 Best New K-Pop Groups in 2016. Over the next few years, Pentagon became household names in Korea, with a discography of two studio albums and eighteen EPs. Throughout the changes in the group’s dynamics – the loss of three members, military service, contracts, solo releases, acting careers, and hiatuses – Pentagon always found their way back to each other and released music.

Hongseok of Pentagon (Courtesy of Naked Inc)

NAKED INC

“The 10th Anniversary was a topic that came up every time we met up for the last three years,” Hongseok admits. “We [wanted to] reunite to celebrate the 10th year with our fans. The talk really took off a year and a half ago during our regular meetup. That’s when we were seriously thinking about how to execute this project. Every single one of us tried to find the best solution to make this happen – and here we are.”

The members have been extremely busy with their own individual projects. Jino is active in Korea’s musical theater scene – starring in three musicals back-to-back – and became a musical director for a music competition series. Hui released his solo music and was recently cast as James Dead in the musical production in Seoul. Hongseok has starred in many Korean dramas, recently portraying the fantasy idol “boyfriend” in Netflix’s hit K-drama, Boyfriend on Demand. After completing his mandatory civil service at the end of last year, Shinwon has been active as an actor and recently became the ambassador for Cheleasa FC Supporter Club due to his love of soccer. Yeo One released new music this year and stars in the Seoul production of Dream High Season 3: Reboot. KINO recently wrapped his FREE KINO World Tour, after releasing his solo EPs last year. Wooseok, who formed the three-piece rock band KIK, has performed at various rock music festivals and has been active writing songs in the K-pop industry.

Shinwon of Pentagon (Courtesy of Naked Inc)

NAKED INC

Despite their busy schedules, the guys have found a way to make it work, recording together late into the night to complete the project. Hongseok calls it a “miracle” that they made it work, revealing that they practiced their choreography from 11 pm until 2-3 am.

“We are incredibly grateful and happy to bring this project to [life] despite the obstacles,” says Jinho. “I’m happy to get to celebrate with UNIVERSE and hope they feel happier than we do.”

Yeo One of Pentagon (Courtesy of Naked Inc)

NAKED INC

The members took it a step further, clearing their schedules not only to release new music, but also a music video and a 10th anniversary tour, “101010” (read as “Triple Ten”), in Asia. Their tagline, an homage to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, reads, “The answer to the fundamental question of our lives — Universe and everything.” The title of their anniversary tour also marks the group’s 10th anniversary and their debut date – October 10th. They credit their fans with their existence, and vice versa. It’s why the members decided to have the fans help with the concert setlist.

Jinho actually came up with the idea during his solo concert in 2023, wanting to one day do a concert with a setlist by UNIVERSE. So Pentagon told fans to vote for the song they wanted to hear the most during their concert. The members refused to reveal the songs chosen – not even providing a hint.

Hongseok teased, “We placed some stages so our fans get to see the stages and [just know what songs will be coming.] We have a lot of various songs prepared for this tour.”

The group also wanted to return to their K-pop roots with their comeback track, “Coward.” The song is entirely in Korean, filled with beautiful expressions and metaphors. KINO mentions Vernon (of SEVENTEEN)’s interview with The Hollywood Reporter about how K-pop’s sound has become more Westernized. KINO admits that his music sounds more Westernized over the years because the goal has been to become more global,

“But, at the same time, it’s become too much,” KINO confesses. “We were looking for where Pentagon fit in the K-pop industry. K-pop is K-pop because of the chord structures, melodic music, and the Korean lyrics. In 2026, K-pop lost what makes it Korean. I felt like we had to sing and make this sound that K-pop fans want from us. That’s the biggest reason why we chose Korean lyrics and Pentagon’s original style – and not to follow what is trendy.”

KINO of Pentagon (Courtesy of Naked Inc)

NAKED INC

Hongseok agrees, “This is actually the type of K-pop that we grew up listening to, and when we were growing up [doing this].”

Though many of the members have remained active as idols, the group had to adjust to an idol schedule and choreography again. Eldest member Jinho, 34, acknowledges that the members’ bodies aren’t the same as they were ten years ago.

“After 10 years as capable idols, we’re adults who have knee, shoulder, and back injuries,” Jinho laughs. “So going through intense choreography back-to-back was physically demanding, but we had so much fun preparing.”

​When asked if they remember all the choreography, Jinho immediately smiles and answers, “Nope!”

Hongseok laughs, “We are having difficulties memorizing the old choreography.”

Sometimes their muscle memory kicks in during some songs, but they still have trouble with positioning.

Hongseok says eagerly, “I’ll remember this move, and we start moving to it. But it takes time. We have to remind ourselves about where we stood. With K-pop choreography, the center suddenly goes back, then goes to the right wing, then three seconds later, is in the left wing. We had this choreography line, but since [things have changed], we had to rearrange everything. We also shouldn’t forget our injured members.”

Jinho jokes, “We’re aging.”

Of course, with age comes wisdom.

The group has been through so much individually and as a group, but it’s made a lot of them stronger. They’ve learned so much about the industry, especially now planning and executing this anniversary project.

Wooseok of Pentagon (Courtesy of Naked Inc)

NAKED INC

“Planning and executing are two completely different things,” says Hongseok. “I kept asking myself, ‘What have I learned from this?’ We’ve talked about what we’ve been through, how we felt, how we picked the song, and everything. I never thought about what we learned, but then ‘planning and executing’ this project jumped into my head. We constantly talked about the 10th anniversary, planning to reunite and decide on the exact date and what we should do. Executing is completely different.”​

Hongseok also mentions how much the group has matured since they were so young when they first formed. The members were in their teens as trainees, debuting in their late teens and early twenties. Now, most members are in their 30s.

Jinho said the biggest change in him came when he started his own solo career, which gave him the chance to discover and try things he wouldn’t have been able to in the group. He shares, “It’s a bit of trial and error [of going through these things alone]. It was a big step for me. But through [my] solo career, I thought about Pentagon and where we belong, which was bigger in my mindset.”

Pentagon (Courtesy of Naked Inc)

NAKED INC

Hongseok, a workout guru who posts his own fitness videos and has appeared on the cover of Men’s Health Korea several times, shared that one thing that hasn’t changed is his stamina as an artist and idol. He says he feels stronger than ever because he keeps working out.

Hongseok and Jinho, who are known as the birthday twins, start bantering like old times, with Jinho sarcastically side-eyeing him. “Good for you.”

Hongseok grins, cackling, “Good for me!”

He then answers seriously, “[To be honest,] our mindset has changed. We [used to get] angry and upset with each other easily. We were easily disappointed and frustrated. We laid down when we met a huge wall in front of us, but since we’ve been through all of that, we don’t get easily depressed, frustrated, or upset with each other. We have the strength to hold each other’s hands and move on to the next step – whatever comes to us.​”

Pentagon’s “Coward” is available on all streaming platforms. Their “101010” 10th Anniversary Tour begins on October 1 in Osaka, then heads to Tokyo and Seoul before concluding on November 1 in Hong Kong.