Entertainment News

TWICE's Jihyo leaves JYP after 21 years: two Seoul outlets, two readings of her letter

Jihyo, the leader of K-pop girl group TWICE, said on Wednesday that she has left JYP Entertainment, the agency she joined as a child trainee, and set up her own company, Emithaus. Yonhap and The Korea Herald both report that she announced the move in a handwritten letter posted on social media, and that she will stay in TWICE.

Yonhap gives the basic facts. The 29-year-old had been with JYP for 21 years, and she will pursue her solo career under the new agency while continuing to work with the group. JYP had managed her since before TWICE's 2015 debut.

“After 21 years, my journey with JYP Entertainment, which began when I was just a child, has come to an end.” — Jihyo, via The Korea Herald

The Korea Herald adds context. It says the announcement confirms reports from July that she was preparing to leave, and that Emithaus will first manage her solo work before moving into music and content production with new artists. It also recalls her 2023 solo debut EP, “Zone”, which sold 534,565 copies in its first week and reached No. 14 on the Billboard 200.

How each outlet framed it

• Yonhap — a short news report on the departure, quoting her plan to “freely explore” her potential under Emithaus.
• The Korea Herald — the letter in more detail, the July reports, her solo sales record and the agency's plans to sign other artists.

What we don't know yet: neither report gives a date for new solo music, and neither says how the group's activities with JYP will be arranged now that one member is managed by another company. The Korea Herald notes only that the move follows a series of changes involving TWICE members' individual management.