Wanna One's Lai Kuanlin to make acting debut in China

Wanna One's Lai Kuanlin will begin forging an acting career in China. Korea Times file

By Dong Sun-hwa

Lai Kuanlin, a Taiwanese member of now-defunct K-pop boy band Wanna One, is gearing up to make his small-screen debut in China.

His popularity there has been a big help to his acting career, according to industry sources, Tuesday. Lai is scheduled to head to China in the middle of this month to begin filming.

But reports say he will not quit his singing career in Korea, where he had been enjoying popularity as the youngest member of Wanna One. The reports say he is making a fresh start in a new K-pop boy band with Yoo Seon-ho, another idol trainee managed by Lai's agency Cube Entertainment.

Yoo also featured in the second season of Mnet's survival reality show “Produce 101” with Lai in 2017. But he failed to win multiple voting rounds and could not secure a place in the 11-member project group Wanna One.

Although Wanna One officially disbanded on Dec. 31, it is set to stage its last gigs for fans at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul from Jan. 24 to 27.

Other group members have also disclosed their futures. Leader Yoon Ji-sung will debut as a soloist in February and rapper Park Woo-jin will join duo MXM.