Korean girl group T-ara will add new members to become a nine-member group for the upcoming album, the group’s agency announced on Friday.

The new members will be revealed together with T-ara’s new album release in July, according to the T-ara’s management agency Core Contents Media.

“T-ara will change from the current seven to a nine-member system, and if needed, we will replace old members,” Kim Kwang-soo, head of Core Contents Media, said in a news release.

The reason for the change, Kim added, is to maintain the group’s popularity and to survive in a fiercely competitive pop market.

“We should not be content with our current position. There are many teams working more than 10 hours a day to be in the top position,” he said.

Kim admitted that some members have changed since their debut, making less effort and becoming arrogant.

“Although T-ara is working hard, they must continue to work harder to grow further. If anyone does not show commitment, and negatively impacts the group, we’ll replace the member.”

There have been rumors about a potential change in T-ara, but Kim’s comment was the first official statement coming from the group’s agency.

The pop group, which currently consists of seven members, debuted in 2009.

The group also made its Japan debut last year, topping Japan’s Oricon weekly singles chart with their single “Bo Peep Bo Peep,” in September. T-ara is planning to release its first album in Japan in June, before releasing its new album in Korea in July.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)