"Former Korean Girl Group Member... Familiar Face Waiting for a Call at Japanese Entertainment Venue"

Girl Group NATURE Japanese Member Haru
"To Fund Dance Studio Establishment"

The recent status of a Japanese woman working at a local entertainment venue in Japan, who previously promoted her experience as a member of a Korean girl group, has been revealed.

Haru from the group 'Nature,' active under the stage name 'Sakura Ruru' at a Japanese entertainment venue called a kyabakura.

Recently, a video introducing a female hostess was posted on the social media account of a Japanese kyabakura (a blend of cabaret and nightclub). Among them, a woman using the stage name "Sakura Ruru" introduced herself by saying, "I was active as a K-pop idol for six years starting from when I was 18." She described herself as a "newcomer who has been working for three months" and said, "I am currently working as a 'kyabajo' to raise funds to establish a dance studio." Kyabajo refers to the hostesses who entertain customers at kyabakura. Kyabakura is a club where mainly men select their preferred female hostesses to drink with. It is characterized by charging customers by time, and illegal sexual contact between customers and hostesses inside the venue is prohibited.

The woman is Haru Abe (Abe Haruno, 24), a Japanese member of the group NATURE, which debuted in Korea in 2018. In the promotional video, Haru said, "Until a year ago, I wasn't good at drinking alcohol, but surprisingly, I seem to be strong with alcohol," and added, "I am waiting to be chosen."

The group NATURE is a nine-member group under n.CH Entertainment, established independently by CEO Jung Chang-hwang, who formerly served as the CEO of SM C&C. The group consists of seven Koreans, one Chinese, and one Japanese member. Since the release of their third mini-album, "NATURE WORLD: CODE W," on November 6, 2022, there have been no significant activities, leading to speculation that the group may have effectively disbanded, although no official announcement has been made.

Regarding this, the agency stated, "NATURE is currently not active. Haru has also returned to Japan, so it has been difficult to get in touch with her."