Representatives from K-pop’s largest management agency, SM Entertainment, have officially confirmed that popular K-pop starlet Jessica will no longer be a part of the girl group Girls’ Generation, according to a statement released on Tuesday.
The announcement came about eight hours after Jessica revealed on her Weibo account that SM had unilaterally dismissed her from the group without “justifiable reason.”
“I was excited about our upcoming fan events only to shockingly be informed by my company and 8 others that as of today, I’m no longer a member. I’m devastated,” Jessica wrote at around 5 a.m. on Tuesday.
Former Girls’ Generation member Jessica. (SM Entertainment)
The news sent shockwaves through the K-pop scene since it had been recently reported that all nine members of the group had renewed their contracts with SM to continue on as Girls’ Generation, after their seven-year contract expired in August.
Due to clashes in priorities and interests, agency officials stated that they could not find a way to keep the nine members together, which is why they made the decision to release Jessica from the group.
“As Jessica has embarked into a fashion business, the team could no longer stick together despite persistent discussions,” SM’s officials stated in a press release.
“We have decided to turn Girls’ Generation into an eight-member group (without Jessica). While discussing when to announce the news, Jessica posted the (Weibo) comment from her own perspective,” the agency said.
Although Jessica claimed to be shocked by the decision, it was announced in the statement that Jessica had informed her management team earlier this year that she would halt her activities as a member of Girls’ Generation for personal reasons, after releasing one more album together.
The remaining eight members ― Taeyeon, Tiffany, Seohyun, Sunny, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung and Yoona ― left for Shenzhen, China, on Tuesday, without Jessica to attend a fan meeting.
Although Jessica will no longer participate as a member of Girls’ Generation, she will continue to pursue solo activities under the management of SM Entertainment, the agency said.
By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)
