Lee Hyun-joo (actress)

Lee Hyun-joo (born February 5, 1998), is a South Korean actress and singer. She is a former member of girl group April. Following her departure from the group, she participated in the KBS2's survival show The Unit and finished in fifth place, making her debut as a member of project girl group Uni.T in 2018. She is known for her roles in Love Distance 2, The Witch Store and Love, Can You Deliver Today.

2015–2016: April and acting career
Lee Hyun-joo debuted as a member of April with the debut album Dreaming. After their second album Spring, she went on hiatus to focus on her health, and by October, she had announced her withdrawal from her group to pursue an acting career while dealing with her health issues.

In 2016, she made her acting debut with the starring television series Momin’s Room as the role of Lee Moda.

2017–present: The Unit, UNI.T and return to acting
In 2017, she joined the reality television survival series The Unit, and on May 18, 2018, she won 5th place, securing her spot in the temporary girl group, Uni.T with the group's debut EP Line.

On October 12, 2018, Uni.T disbanded after five months of promoting. Lee subsequently continued as an actress and returned to her agency.

On February 28, 2021, a post was made to an online forum by someone claiming to be Hyunjoo's brother. In the post, he claimed that Hyunjoo's departure from April had not been because she wanted to study acting, but because she had been forced out due to being severely bullied by the other members, at one point even attempting suicide. DSP Media has denied that any bullying took place, and announced they would be pursuing legal action against Hyunjoo and her family. As a result, April faced heavy backlash, up to and including having members removed from endorsement deals and acting roles. Hyunjoo then posted a statement on her personal Instagram on April 18, 2021, backing the claims of the two netizens who made the accusations. She also stated that the label, DSP Media, was not allowing her to terminate her exclusive contract with them. The group April subsequently disbanded.

Endorsements
On July 29, 2021, Hyun-joo was selected as the new model for cosmetic brand LOAR.