Park Jihyo leaves JYP Entertainment after 21 years, remains as TWICE member
TWICE leader Jihyo is parting ways with JYP Entertainment after two decades, but plans to continue her activities with the K-pop group.
The 29-year-old singer shared the news in a handwritten letter posted on Instagram on Oct. 21, reflecting on her time with the South Korean entertainment company, which she joined as a child.
“After 21 years, my journey with JYP Entertainment, which began when I was just a child, has come to an end,” she wrote in Korean. "Trying to put 21 years into just a few words is harder than I thought it would be. From childhood through my teenage years and into adulthood, I’ve spent most of my life at JYP."
Jihyo, whose real name is Park Ji-hyo, said her decision to become independent was a choice about how she wanted to move forward rather than simply ending her time at the agency.
CONTINUE READING BELOW
“For me, independence is not about the time I've had, but about the choice of how I will live the time ahead,” she said.
Jihyo also introduced EMITHAUS, the independent venture she established as the first step in her new chapter.
"Just as 'EMIT' means to 'express or release,' I hope this will be a place where I can freely explore and bring to life even the possibilities within me that I have yet to discover," she wrote. "As I move forward in a new way, away from a familiar environment, I will approach all future choices and activities with a more careful and responsible attitude."
Despite leaving JYP Entertainment, Jihyo also emphasized that she has no plans to leave TWICE.
"I want to continue standing on the same stage as my members and creating time together for a long time to come," she added.
Jihyo debuted with TWICE in 2015 after spending about a decade as a trainee at JYP Entertainment. The group is known for songs such as Cheer Up, TT, What Is Love? and The Feels.
She is the third TWICE member to leave JYP Entertainment this year, following Jeongyeon, who signed with VARO Entertainment, and Chaeyoung, who announced her own independent venture.
