Timeline
2005: Park Jaebum (also known as Jay Park) auditions for JYPE in Seattle. He is accepted, and moves to train in Korea at the JYP Academy. During his training, he also graduates from high school and begins college classes.
Sept. 4, 2008: 2PM debuts with “10 Points out of 10 Points” with Jaebum as the leader.
April 16, 2009: 2PM releases their second mini-album "2:00PM Time For Change" reaching success and popularity with their song "Again & Again".
Sept. 4, 2009: Fans celebrate the 1-year anniversary of 2PM, hosting a barbeque for the members at JYPE headquarters. JYP is in New York, with the Wonder Girls.
Sept. 4, 2009: Entries that Jaebum made on a friend’s Myspace in 2005 are uploaded and translated into Korean. The response is explosive and negative as Jaebum refers to his homeland with “Korea is gay”. Many English-speaking fans were already aware of the comments, and had dismissed them.
Sept. 4, 2009: Jaebum offers an official apology.
Sept. 5, 2009: JYPE offers an official apology.
Sept. 5, 2009: 2PM performs at the InCheon Korea Music Wave Festival; Jaebum offers a formal bow of apology.
Sept. 6, 2009: Flame wars between antis and fans spill over into the 2PM Youtube account.
Sept. 6, 2009: JYP announces the groups’ suspension of all activities.
Sept. 7, 2009: Jaebum announces his departure from 2pm in a letter on his fancafe.
Sept. 8, 2009: Jaebum leaves Korea in the midst of 300+ fans gathered at InCheon Airport opposing his departure.
Sept. 8, 2009: Media releases comments that Jaebum made on his Myspace in 2006, this time expressing his desire to stay in his homeland as a Korean. Netizens express their surprise and regret.
Sept. 9, 2009: Jaebum arrives in Seattle. Boycott is announced by “Underground”.
Sept. 12, 2009: 700+ fans silently gather in front of the JYP building in Seoul in protest; the first post-its go up on the building.
Sept. 12, 2009: 2PM’s last 7-member performance, at the InCheon Korea Music Wave Festival, is broadcast.
Sept. 17, 2009: JYPE announces that the group will resume performing with 6 members.
Sept. 17, 2009: “International Fan Union” releases boycott statement.
Sept. 20, 2009: First Flash Mob in Seoul. Other Flash mobs will follow in the coming months, in Montreal, Philippines, New York, Mexico, Daegu, Australia, and Europe.
Sept. 28, 2009: Fan project for Jay, the “What Time Is It Now?” skybanner flies over Seattle.
Sept. 29, 2009: Jay’s church in Seattle announces they are taking down a forum they had provided for Jay’s fans; reason? Negative and improper use from antis.
Oct. 10, 2009: 6-member 2PM performs at the 2009 Dream Concert. Fans chant for Park Jaebum.
Oct. 24, 2009: Jaebum’s last variety show appearance, on Infinity challenge, is broadcast.
Oct. 25, 2009: tvN broadcasts an episode of “Into Sunday Night” that features Jaebum. The TV crew stalks his house, his friends, even interviewing his boss at the tire store. Netizens are outraged by this invasion of privacy.
November 10, 2009: 2PM releases new album “1:59PM”, without Jaebum. The name is actually the nickname that some fans used for a Jay-less 2PM.
November 12, 2009: The 6-member group begins comeback performances.
November 20, 2009: 2PM is awarded Best Male Group and Artist of the Year by the M.net Asian Music Awards (previously known as M.net KM Music Festival): the group thanks Jaebum in their acceptance speech, and the performance of “Again & Again” features a spotlight over Jaebum's usual position in the dance formation and his vocals are not replaced; instead, the fans sing along.
December 30, 2009: "Again & Again" is recognized as "Song of the Year" at KBS's end of the year Music Festival, winning with 57,060 votes.
January 17, 2010: 2PM ends promotions for the first full album “1:59PM”, on Inkigayo. The program captures the attention of many fans for leaving a blank spot for leader Park Jaebum in the Good-Bye video.
January 20, 2010: A wave of false rumors regarding Jaebum’s definitive withdrawal, a possible role in a Hollywood movie, a comeback in a variety show, a solo career and a later denied press conference on 24th, raises the chaos. Fans of 2PM blame the media for using Jaebum’s name to create attention for the group’s current activities.
January 28, 2010: After celebrities, teachers and politicians have voiced their support for Park Jaebum in the past 5 months. A journalist (mk.co.kr) writes an article about the current crisis of JYP as a producer, referring to 2PM’s Jaebum and Wonder Girl’s Sunmi latest withdrawal. The article concludes that both cases are the result of family deprivation and extreme depression, as music companies don’t provide enough help for their young artist’s physical and mental health.