Seventeen’s hiatus doesn’t stop Joshua Hong’s global push

Joshua Hong, Seventeen’s American member, stepped into two major public stages during the group’s extended hiatus period—appearing at UNESCO and then at Paris Fashion Week. While the group pauses group activities, Hong is still booked, still visible, and still

A hiatus can freeze a group’s schedule—but it doesn’t necessarily slow the individual plans of the people front and center. For Joshua Hong of Seventeen, this past week looked like the opposite of stillness.

On Thursday, Hong spent the morning suited up for a speech at UNESCO. Hours later, he shed that formal look for hot-boy-summer clothes and took a front-row seat at Paris fashion week. The timing wasn’t subtle: Seventeen had just announced an extended hiatus. yet Hong was already moving through two global platforms as if the break were meant for everyone else.

The group’s pause is being shaped by biology, law, and timing. Half of the nine active members must enlist for South Korea’s mandatory military service. Around a third of the group will hold down the fort until a planned comeback in 2028. In the middle of that gap. Hong—Seventeen’s key American member and one of its two English speakers—was tapped to represent the band at UNESCO.

At UNESCO, the youth initiative Seventeen has worked on was more than a speaking engagement for Hong. He told Business Insider the program inspires him because it’s “a collective effort” that has opened up “a variety of doors for them to think creatively and develop their own solutions.”

Hong’s UNESCO stop also landed right as the bandmates’ much-hyped unit era was unfolding. The “V8” mini album—featuring Vernon and The8—is the first unit release in the group’s hiatus era. They kicked it off with a listening party at a club in Seoul’s Itaewon district on June 28. and are set to hit arenas in Asia for a series of live shows.

“V8” brings together high-profile production and a specific creative pitch. Top producers from Pharrell Williams to Alice Longyu Gao have their fingerprints on the album. The tracklist includes eight high-octane songs: “rat race” and the title track. “singasong.” In a statement. the duo said. “We really wanted to tell an authentic story. Looking back on the times we’ve spent and how they’ve led us to who we are today. it naturally brought us to this theme — how our experiences of youth drive us forward.”.

That sequence—public-facing work in Paris and ongoing output from the Seventeen unit system—helps explain why the group’s hiatus feels less like a halt and more like a handoff. Even while Hong’s calendar fills with major international appearances, other members are also advancing their own schedules.

Dino, the group’s youngest, is set to debut under his alter ego, Picheolin, on August 3. Vocalists Seungkwan and DK are scheduled to wrap up their “Serenade” concert tour in Kaohsiung on July 26.

Hong also used the Paris moment to tease where he wants to go next. He has expressed interest in expanding into Hollywood and working more in fashion. “As I’ve begun diving further into new endeavors. whether in music or beyond. I’m excited to see how I’ll grow as an artist. and I hope I can continue to share positive energy with people in everything I do. ” he said.

For Seventeen, the hiatus remains real—military service and time are not things you can negotiate away. But for Joshua Hong, the break has looked like runway time rather than pause time. In the same window when the group’s full lineup is off holding pattern. he’s already building momentum across borders.

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