GWSN (), also known as Girls in the Park, was a South Korean girl group formed in 2018 by Kiwi Pop (now known as The Wave Music). The group consisted of seven members: Miya, Seokyoung, Seoryoung, Anne, Minju, Soso, and Lena, and debuted on September 5, 2018 with the title track "Puzzle Moon" from their extended play The Park in the Night Part One.
Name GWSN is an abbreviation of Gongwon Sonyeo. The group describes "gongwon" (lit. park) as a place "where anyone, who is male or female or old or young, can go and enjoy themselves, heal their wounds and dream". The abbreviation also has a separate meaning in English, with G standing for 'Ground' and WSN standing for the directional markers 'West,' 'South,' and 'North,' with the significance being that the group wants to reach out to people from every direction. 'Gong-won' can also be translated into 'gong,' meaning zero in Korean, and 'won,' which represents the English word one, meaning that when the seven members get together, they will forever be one.
History 2018–2019: Debut with The Park in the Night series On June 14, 2018, Kiwi Pop, a subsidiary of Kiwi Media Group, released a teaser image for their first girl group named GWSN and the opening of their social media accounts with their reveal date set to June 18, 2018. Shortly after, members were each revealed along with a short video and an image starting with Minju, followed by Lena, Anne, Soso, Seoryoung, Miya, and finally Seokyoung, who was a former contestant on Mnet's Produce 101 TV series, where she came in 30th place.
In order to increase their pre-debut popularity, the group held multiple busking events all over South Korea in public spaces, performed in middle schools and high schools, as well as held live video events on their Facebook page and uploaded dance covers of popular songs onto their YouTube.
On July 8, Mnet announced a reality TV show named Got Ya! GWSN featuring all the members of GWSN.
On September 5, 2018, GWSN made their debut with the extended play (EP) The Park in the Night Part One with the lead single, "Puzzle Moon". They then went onto holding their debut showcase at Yes24 Live Hall, Seoul, South Korea. They officially made their debut in the Korean music program M Countdown on September 6.
On March 13, 2019, GWSN released their second EP The Park in the Night Part Two, with the lead single "Pinky Star (Run)".
GWSN released their first studio album The Park in the Night Part Three along with the lead single "Red-Sun (021)" on July 23. This was funded through fan contribution on Makestar, where a total of US$27,491.03 was raised.
On October 2, GWSN was the opening act for Jessica Jung's fanmeeting in Japan, XOXO Jessica Jung Fan Meeting.
2020–2023: The Keys, The Other Side of the Moon and disbandment On January 17, 2020, it was announced that member Soso would be taking a hiatus due to a ruptured ankle ligament and that the group will continue to promote as six members. On April 3, 2020, it was reported that GWSN was moved to a new sub-label from Kiwi Media Group known as MILES. The group made their comeback on April 28 with their third EP The Keys and its title track "Bazooka!", without member Soso.
GWSN was set to release their fourth EP The Other Side of the Moon and its lead single "Like It Hot" on May 20, 2021, but the album's release date was pushed back to May 26. The group would be moved to The Wave Music, which was formerly named Kiwi Media Group.
In 2022, Anne made her screen debut as Kim Yoon-ji in The Killer: A Girl Who Deserves to Die.
On January 22, 2023, it was announced through multiple news outlets that all 7 members' exclusive contracts with The Wave Music had been terminated on the 12th of that month by the Seoul Central District Court. On June 28, 2023, Miya confirmed in an interview with NHK that GWSN had disbanded in January after all 7 members won the lawsuit.
Members Miya () Seokyoung () Seoryoung () Anne () Minju () Soso () Lena ()
Discography Extended plays Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales KOR The Park in the Night Part One Released: September 5, 2018 Label: Kiwi Pop, Kiwi Media Group Formats: CD, digital download 12 KOR: 9,301Cumulative sales for The Park in the Night Part One: The Park in the Night Part Two Released: March 13, 2019 Label: Kiwi Pop, Kiwi Media Group Formats: CD, digital download 11 KOR: 7,703Cumulative sales for The Park in the Night Part Two: The Park in the Night Part Three Released: July 23, 2019 Label: Kiwi Pop, Kiwi Media Group Formats: CD, digital download 13 KOR: 6,373Cumulative sales for The Park in the Night Part Three: The Keys Released: April 28, 2020 Label: Miles Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download 6 KOR: 6,879Cumulative sales for The Keys: The Other Side of the Moon Released: May 26, 2021 Label: The Wave Music Formats: CD, digital download 18 KOR: 8,626Cumulative sales for The Other Side of the Moon:
Singles Title Year Peak chart positions Album KOR DL "Puzzle Moon" 2018 — The Park in the Night Part One "Pinky Star (Run)" 2019 — The Park in the Night Part Two "Red-Sun (021)" — The Park in the Night Part Three "Bazooka!" 2020 — The Keys "Like It Hot" 2021 113 The Other Side of the Moon "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.
Soundtrack appearances SongYearMember(s)Album "Oh Lady Go Lady" 2018 All Clean with Passion for Now OST Part 2 "Be Your Star" 2019 Seoryoung, Lena (GWSN) Touch Your Heart OST Part 4 "I'm in Love" All Mother of Mine OST Part 4
Videography Music videos Year Title Director(s) Ref. 2018 "Puzzle Moon" Jiyong Kim(FantazyLab) "Color Me" 2019 "We Need a Change" (feat. Jack Walton) "Pinky Star" (Run) Jiyong Kim(FantazyLab) "Growing" (for Groo) "Pinky Star" (Run) (choreography ver.) "Red-Sun" (021) Korlio(August Frogs Visual) "Red-Sun" (021) (performance ver.) "Total Eclipse" (Black Out) 2020 "Bazooka!" Hong Won-Ki "Bazooka! (performance ver.) Hong Won-Ki "Bazooka!" (stay safe with GWSN ver.)2021"Like It Hot"TBA
Television shows Year Title Network 2018 Got Ya! GWSN Mnet
Awards and nominations + Name of the award ceremony, year presented, award category, nominee(s) of the award and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Award category Work(s)/nominee(s) Result Genie Music Awards2019New Artist AwardGWSN The Female New Artist Genie Music Popularity Award Global Popularity Award Korea Culture Entertainment AwardsK-Pop Singer Award Mnet Asian Music Awards2018Best New Female Artist Artist of the Year Seoul Success AwardsNew Artist Award Soribada Best K-Music Awards2020Rising Star Award
Notes
References
External links
Fancafe GWSN Official Instagram