Jihyo leaves JYP after 21 years. What happens to Twice?
Twice’s leader says she has set up her own agency, Emithaus, but wants to keep performing with the group after ending her long relationship with JYP Entertainment.
Twice leader Jihyo announced on Wednesday, October 21, that she had left South Korea’s JYP Entertainment after 21 years and established her own agency, Emithaus, CNA reported. The change puts her solo work under a new agency, while she says she wants to remain part of Twice.
“My decision to leave JYP Entertainment does not mean parting ways with the group that has been with me for so long,” Jihyo wrote in an Instagram post quoted by CNA. She called Twice “an irreplaceable and precious part of my life” and said she hoped to keep sharing a stage with its members.
Why Jihyo left JYP Entertainment
In the post, Jihyo said she was bringing her journey with JYP, which began in childhood, to a close. She thanked the people at the agency who had helped her grow through both good and difficult periods. Her account of the move focused on how she wants to work in the years ahead: “To me, becoming independent is less about drawing a conclusion to the time that has passed and more about making a choice about how I want to live the years ahead.”
Jihyo said she would approach future decisions and activities with greater care and responsibility as she works beyond familiar surroundings. CNA reported that the 29-year-old, whose full name is Park Ji-hyo, joined JYP at eight, trained for a decade and debuted with Twice in 2015. Her departure therefore ends a relationship with the agency that spans her trainee years and her career with the group.
Is Jihyo leaving Twice?
Jihyo says she is not. In the remarks reported by CNA, she looked forward to spending more time with the group and said she hoped to continue performing alongside its members. JYP’s official Twice profile lists her among the group’s nine members.
Her announcement follows similar moves by fellow members Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung, according to CNA. The outlet reported that Jeongyeon had joined Varo Entertainment to pursue acting, while Chaeyoung was working on her Lil Fantasy project. Their individual plans give context to Jihyo’s move, but Jihyo’s own message was explicit about her wish to continue with Twice.
CNA reported that the solo contract status of Twice’s other six members — Nayeon, Momo, Sana, Mina, Dahyun and Tzuyu — had yet to be revealed. Jihyo did not give a schedule for future Twice performances in the remarks quoted by the outlet.
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Sources and context
- Twice’s Jihyo officially leaves JYP Entertainment after 21 yearsCNA
- TWICE : ProfileJYP Entertainment / TWICE official site
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.