On October 18, the members of BEAST took part in an interview with TV Report to discuss their newly-released special seventh mini album “TIME.”

During the interview, they were asked about the recent reports about MBLAQand the rumors surrounding the group’s disbandment. The two idol groups are known to be close peers and friends, as they both released their debut albums on the same day—October 14, 2009.

On the subject of Lee Joon and Thunder leaving MBLAQ, the members of BEAST expressed, “We were very surprised after hearing the news. But that’s honestly not something we have the right to discuss or argue about.”

They said, “Not all withdrawals are bad or negative. As far as we know, it was a natural process because the contract period expired. We debuted on the same day and we promoted together a lot over the years, so we saw each other often on various stages. In that aspect, we have many memories and we’re going to miss being noisy and rowdy all together.”

BEAST also shared, “MBLAQ is a particularly special group to us. Since our debut, we were always compared, and through that we received a lot of help from one another. Our two teams performed special stages together and had many battle performances.”

The members expressed well-wishes for their close peers, saying, “It’s upsetting and disappointing. Because we’re so close with the MBLAQ members, it’s difficult to ask anything more about it, as it is a sensitive issue. We hope everything is resolved well.”

Meanwhile, it was reported earlier this month that MBLAQ’s Lee Joon and Thunder would be withdrawing from the group following the end of their contracts with J.Tune Camp. Due to these reports, rumors of the group’s disbandment began to float around, however, their agency explained that nothing has been confirmed and they are still in discussion about future plans.