K-pop Group

AEN

에이엔

AEN (에이엔) is a seven-member Korean-Japanese boy group jointly produced by Starship Entertainment (a Kakao Entertainment label) and Japan's Amuse, with Starship handling Korean operations and Amuse the Japanese side. The name abbreviates "A New Era of Now" and also evokes the Japanese word for eternity. Four members are Korean (Jiyong, Bomin, Kyuhyun, Junseo) and three Japanese (Haru, Haruto, Kaira); all but Haruto competed on Starship's 2025 survival show Debut's Plan. The group debuts on August 5, 2026 with the EP A NEW ERA OF NOW, planned for simultaneous promotion in Korea and Japan. No fandom name has been announced yet.

  • Boy Group
  • Active
  • 5th

Overview

AEN (에이엔, short for “A New Era of Now”) is a seven-member Korean-Japanese boy group produced by Starship Entertainment together with Japanese entertainment company Amuse. The lineup pairs four Korean members — Jiyong, Bomin, Kyuhyun and Junseo — with three Japanese members — Haru, Haruto and Kaira; six of the seven rose to fame on Starship’s 2025 survival project Debut’s Plan.

Unveiled in late May 2026 and introduced to 3,000 fans at the “First Encounter” showcase in Tokyo that June, the group is scheduled to debut on August 5, 2026 with its first EP, A NEW ERA OF NOW, whose five songs are each recorded in Korean and Japanese versions.

Members

Jiyong Leader / Current / Leader
August 5, 2026
Bomin Member / Current
August 5, 2026
Kyuhyun Member / Current
August 5, 2026
Haru Member / Current
August 5, 2026
Haruto Member / Current
August 5, 2026
Junseo Member / Current
August 5, 2026
Kaira Member / Current
August 5, 2026

Member notes and career references

Bomin

Bomin (Jin Bo-min) is a South Korean singer and a member of AEN, Starship Entertainment and Amuse's Korean-Japanese boy group scheduled to debut on August 5, 2026. He became a Starship trainee in 2020 and was a senior trainee on the 2025 survival show Debut's Plan.

Birth name
Jin Bo-min
Born
February 22, 2004
Birthplace
Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, South Korea
Nationality
South Korean
  • AEN / Member / 2026-08-05
  • 2025 / Debut's Plan / Contestant (senior trainee) / Starship Entertainment trainee survival project aired on YouTube (March-May 2025).
  • He was accepted as a Starship Entertainment trainee in 2020 and trained at the same academy as three future CRAVITY members before joining the company. Kprofiles
  • He competed as a senior trainee on Starship's 2025 survival show Debut's Plan and was confirmed for AEN's debut lineup announced in 2026. Wikipedia EN — Debut's Plan
Haru

Haru (Miyata Haru) is a Japanese singer and a member of AEN, Starship Entertainment and Amuse's Korean-Japanese boy group scheduled to debut on August 5, 2026. One of AEN's three Japanese members, he competed on the 2025 survival show Debut's Plan as a junior trainee.

Birth name
Miyata Haru
Born
February 25, 2006
Birthplace
Kumamoto, Japan
Nationality
Japanese
  • AEN / Member / 2026-08-05
  • 2025 / Debut's Plan / Contestant (junior trainee) / Starship Entertainment trainee survival project aired on YouTube (March-May 2025).
  • He is one of AEN's three Japanese members, alongside Haruto and Kaira, in the group's four-Korean/three-Japanese lineup. Kakao Entertainment Newsroom
  • He competed as a junior trainee on Starship's 2025 survival show Debut's Plan before being confirmed for AEN's debut lineup. Wikipedia EN — Debut's Plan
Haruto

Haruto (Kimura Haruto) is a Japanese singer and a member of AEN, Starship Entertainment and Amuse's Korean-Japanese boy group scheduled to debut on August 5, 2026. He is the only member of the seven who did not compete on the 2025 survival show Debut's Plan.

Birth name
Kimura Haruto
Born
March 22, 2006
Birthplace
Tokyo, Japan
Nationality
Japanese
  • AEN / Member / 2026-08-05
  • He is the only AEN member who did not participate in Starship's 2025 survival show Debut's Plan; Starship introduced him as a newly added Japanese member expected to build strong chemistry with the existing lineup. Kakao Entertainment Newsroom
  • He is one of AEN's three Japanese members, alongside Haru and Kaira, in the group's four-Korean/three-Japanese lineup. Kprofiles
Junseo

Junseo (Lee Jun-seo) is a South Korean singer and a member of AEN, Starship Entertainment and Amuse's Korean-Japanese boy group scheduled to debut on August 5, 2026. A Starship trainee since 2023, he competed on the 2025 survival show Debut's Plan as a junior trainee.

Birth name
Lee Jun-seo
Born
February 15, 2007
Birthplace
Seoul, South Korea
Nationality
South Korean
  • AEN / Member / 2026-08-05
  • 2025 / Debut's Plan / Contestant (junior trainee) / Starship Entertainment trainee survival project aired on YouTube (March-May 2025).
  • He was accepted as a Starship Entertainment trainee in 2023 and studied practical music at Hanlim Multi Art School. Kprofiles
  • He competed as a junior trainee on Starship's 2025 survival show Debut's Plan before being confirmed for AEN's debut lineup. Wikipedia EN — Debut's Plan

Key Releases

A NEW ERA OF NOW Debut EP scheduled for August 5, 2026. Five songs each recorded in Korean and Japanese versions (10 tracks): title track "X to Z (Next to me)", plus the self-composed "Clockwise", "Focus On Me", "CHILLS" and "HIGHFIVE".
2026 / Ep

Milestones

AEN unveiled — official SNS accounts opened Starship Entertainment opened AEN's official social media accounts and revealed the group's logo motion, introducing the seven-member lineup of Jiyong, Bomin, Kyuhyun, Haru, Haruto, Junseo and Kaira.
May 31, 2026
Starship x Amuse joint project officially announced Starship Entertainment and Japan's Amuse officially announced AEN as a Korea-Japan joint boy group, with Starship handling Korean operations and Amuse the Japanese side, and promotion planned in both countries.
June 1, 2026
Debut date announced Starship announced that AEN will debut on August 5, 2026 with the first EP A NEW ERA OF NOW, following a first teaser image on June 24 and ahead of a trailer film and performance videos.
June 25, 2026
First greeting showcase "First Encounter" in Tokyo AEN held its first-ever live stage, the greeting showcase "First Encounter", at Tokyo's SGC Hall Ariake in front of an estimated 3,000 fans selected via free ticket lottery; the group's Japan official fanclub opened the same day.
June 27, 2026
Scheduled debut with A NEW ERA OF NOW AEN is scheduled to officially debut with its first EP A NEW ERA OF NOW, released at 6 p.m. KST with all five songs in both Korean and Japanese versions.
August 5, 2026

Facts

The name AEN stands for "A New Era of Now", signifying a new generation that creates and redefines the present moment; it also evokes the Japanese word for eternity, reflecting the group's aspiration to keep developing.
AEN is a Korea-Japan joint project: Starship Entertainment produces the group and handles Korean operations while Japanese entertainment company Amuse manages the Japanese side, with four Korean and three Japanese members.
Six of the seven members (all except Haruto) were contestants on Debut's Plan, Starship's 2025 YouTube trainee survival project that also produced the boy group IDID.
The debut EP A NEW ERA OF NOW contains five songs, each in both Korean and Japanese versions for a total of ten tracks, underscoring the group's two-country promotion plan.