Jiho is departing K-pop girl group Oh My Girl after seven years after having decided not to renew her contract with WM Entertainment.
WM Entertainment released a statement yesterday confirming the news. All six other members — Hyojung, Mimi, Arin, YooA, Seunghee and Yubin (formerly known as Binnie) — however, have renewed their contracts.
Jiho shared a personal, handwritten letter to the group’s fan cafe to address their fandom (known as Miracles). She begins by mentioning, “I will be supporting Oh My Girl’s promotions as a member of Miracle and not as a member of Oh My Girl.”
The singer goes on to share her gratitude towards the fandom.
“I really want to say thank you to Miracle for creating such miracle-like moments in my life. Thanks to you all, I was able to grow and be happy for the past seven years. I hope that happiness was also conveyed to Miracle.”
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.
The pop star also hinted at some future projects.
“Although I can’t yet share details about my future endeavors, I will promise you one thing. No matter what I do in the future, I will work hard and repay you with a good image. Let’s support [Oh My Girl] together in the future!”
Jiho is the second member of Oh My Girl to depart the group, following JinE, who left in 2017 following a year of halted activity because of health issues.
Oh My Girl debuted in 2015 with their self-titled mini-album and track “Cupid” before making it past the infamous seven-year curse faced by many other K-pop groups who break up. The group has released popular hits like “Dolphin,” “Nonstop,” “Secret Garden” and “Dun Dun Dance.” Their most recent release, their second studio-length album “Real Love,” dropped in March, just before the group celebrated its seventh anniversary since their debut on April 30.