TWICE member-contract

▲ TWICE's Jihyo is seen in this image provided by Emithaus. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Yonhap) -- Jihyo, a member of K-pop girl group TWICE, said Wednesday she has left JYP Entertainment to establish her own agency.

In a handwritten letter posted on social media, Jihyo said she had ended her contract with JYP, where she had been for 21 years since childhood.

"I have established Emithaus," she wrote. "Through this new home, I hope to freely explore even the possibilities within myself that I have yet to discover."

The 29-year-old singer added, "I will approach every future choice and activity with greater care and a stronger sense of responsibility, as I step out of a familiar environment and continue my work in a new way."

Jihyo plans to pursue her solo music career under the new agency while continuing activities with TWICE.

JYP Entertainment, one of South Korea's major K-pop agencies, had managed Jihyo since she joined the company as a trainee before TWICE's 2015 debut.

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