By 
1 May – Pledis Entertainment recently made an announcement stating that they will be introducing a grand 17-member male idol group by the end of the year.
As reported on Gokpop website, the group, tentatively called "Seventeen" is made up of 17 members averaging 17-years-old, who have been trained specifically for the international market as well.
A representative stated, "We've been preparing a team that is able to promote in China and Japan for a very long time. Since they'll be specially promoting in three countries, you can consider them an official Hallyu group. Their debut is currently set for the end of the year, and we're planning unique music and stage concepts."