Four of the five members of K-pop girl group Apink have decided to leave their agency when their exclusive contracts expire by the end of April.
Apink, now composed of Jung Eun-ji, Yoon Bo-mi, Park Cho-rong, Kim Nam-joo and Oh Ha-young, debuted on April 19, 2011 and have recently celebrated their 12th anniversary as a group.
Apink celebrating their 12th anniversary since debut (Twitter)
On April 28, IST Entertainment, Apink’s agency, announced that Yoon Bo-mi, Park Cho-rong, Kim Nam-joo and Oh Ha-young will leave the agency.
“Ahead of the expiry of Apink's exclusive contract, we discussed with the members for a long time and thoughtfully. For the new growth of each member and each other, Park Cho-rong, Yoon Bomi, Kim Nam-joo, and Oh Ha-young ended their beautiful 12-year journey with the company at the end of April after their debut,” it said.
Jung Eun-ji, meanwhile, signed a new contract with IST Entertainment.
“We recently signed a new contract with Jung Eun-ji, and we have continued our relationship. We will greet Jung Eun-ji through her singer activities as well as her next work in the near future, and we will continue to support her so that she can stand out in her various activities,” the agency said.
IST Entertainment clarified that Apink will not be disbanding despite that four members will leave the company.
“Regardless of the contract, Apink promised to maintain team activities without disbanding as all members have a firm will and affection for group activities. We plan to discuss Apink's future activities, cooperate with each other, and work together so that they can protect the team,” it said.
It added, “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all members of Apink who ran together for 12 long years to establish themselves as K-pop's representative girl group. We ask for your unchanging warm support and love for Apink, which is preparing for a new journey.”
Apink debuted with the album “Seven Springs of Apink” in 2011.