Location of Kim Yuni, the Popular SM Entertainment Trainee Who Vanished Just Before Debuting With Hearts2Hearts

Kim Yuni is back in the spotlight weeks after disappearing from SM Entertainment’s new girl group Hearts2Hearts.

The controversy started in November 2024 when Kim Yuni’s trainee photos leaked online. Fans were hyped, expecting her to be part of Hearts2Hearts’ debut. But when the eight-member lineup was revealed, she was nowhere to be found. Everyone wondered why such a talented vocalist got cut.

Then on October 7, 2025, Kim Yuni showed up on SBS’s survival show Our Ballad, performing Yoon Sang’s “Shade of Parting.” She revealed she’s a 22-year-old former SM trainee who trained alongside aespa and Hearts2Hearts members.

She said this about her start at SM:

“I posted a video of myself singing a ballad song on YouTube, and SM Entertainment reached out to me after watching it. I ended up moving from Daejeon to Seoul to begin training as an idol during my second year of high school.”
— Kim Yuni

Kim Yuni admitted watching her former groupmates debut without her was tough. The song choice reflected her feelings after being cut from Hearts2Hearts and returning to Daejeon.

“I trained for five years and overlapped with aespa and the members of Hearts2Hearts. I watched their debut stage from home—it felt strange and even a bit sad to see friends I’d spent every day with all dressed up on such a big stage.”

“I first heard it on the train back to Daejeon after packing up my things from the dorm, right after I ended my trainee life. The song really captured how I felt having to give up my idol dream. I hope this marks a new beginning for me.”
— Kim Yuni

She scored 100 out of 150 votes to advance in Our Ballad. Evaluator Park Kyung Rim praised her:

“Her clean tone reminded me of SM Entertainment’s main vocal line.”

Fans reacted fast online, expressing support and sympathy. Many compared her to Red Velvet’s Wendy and called her elimination heartbreaking.

“She sings so well. I hope she keeps moving forward on this new path and finds great success… No, she definitely will.”
“If she was the only one eliminated out of nine, that must’ve been so hard… she’s so pretty and still so young.”
“Her voice has a Wendy-like quality to it, too. She sings beautifully.”
“Doesn’t Hearts2Hearts get almost no buzz? They don’t even feel like an SM Entertainment group. If there were nine members but only one got cut, that’s honestly heartbreaking.”

Some fans suspected age was the reason for her cut since she was born in 2002 and the youngest member is 2006-born.

Watch Kim Yuni’s raw performance from Our Ballad here: