BTS Is The Only K-Pop Group That Debuted In 2013 That Is Still Active, And One Of A Few That Hasn’t Disbanded

2013 will always remain a very important point in K-Pop history: It was the year that the legendary boy group, BTS, debuted, and though it took them a couple of years to be successful and more time after that to become the worldwide sensation they are today, it all started on June 13, 2013.

They weren’t the only K-Pop group that debuted that year, of course. They were, however, one of the few groups that debuted in 2013 that haven’t disbanded by now, and the only group that is active in the K-Pop industry.

It might have just been bad timing for some of these groups, since 2012 was such a huge year for very successful K-Pop groups. It saw the beginning of careers for EXO, VIXX, EXID, NU’EST, BTOB, AOA, and many other artists that are still successful today, if on a smaller scale.

In 2014, the following year, the debuts of groups such as GOT7, Red Velvet, WINNER, and MAMAMOO, among others, also proved to be very successful, and are still highly relevant in the K-Pop industry today.

When it comes to other artists that debuted in 2013, however, most of the names of these groups aren’t well-known among the K-Pop community as a whole, and while some of them did do fairly well at some point in their career, they’ve all, sadly, seemed to all but disappear.

Some groups that started their career in 2013 that you might have heard of include SPEED, Ladies’ Code, HISTORY, and Topp Dogg. Unfortunately, however, all four but Ladies’ Code of these groups have disbanded, and Ladies’ Code has been on indefinite hiatus since 2020. And this really is a shame, because they all came out with some incredible songs and music videos!

Other groups you may have heard of are Boys Republic (who have been on hiatus since 2018), Bestie (who disbanded in 2018), and GI (who disbanded in 2016).

Meanwhile, BTS is seeing more and more success every year, breaking records on music charts and with over 32 million album sales since their career began. They’ve helped the K-Pop music genre spread across the globe, and many of today’s rookie idols look up to them!

While it’s sad that there weren’t more groups that debuted in 2013 were able to have long and fruitful careers, we’re so glad that BTS is still going strong, especially since there was a time when they, too, nearly disbanded before they got their first win with “I Need You” in 2015!