The group’s leader has left JYP Entertainment after 21 years and launched her own agency, Emithaus, while continuing group and solo activities.
Twice’s Jihyo
EMITHAUS
Twice’s Jihyo announced Wednesday that she has parted ways with JYP Entertainment and established her own agency, Emithaus, for her future activities.
“After 21 years, my journey with JYP Entertainment, which began when I was just a child, has come to an end,” Jihyo wrote in a handwritten letter posted on her Instagram. “From my childhood through my teenage years and into adulthood, I’ve spent most of my life at JYP.”
“There were good days and difficult ones, but one thing I know for certain is that every one of those moments has shaped who I am today.”
The move comes months after speculation emerged in July that Jihyo might leave JYP Entertainment as Twice’s contract renewal period approached.
While Jihyo expressed gratitude to JYP Entertainment, she also announced the launch of her new agency.
“To me, independence is not so much a conclusion about the time that has passed, but a choice about how I want to live going forward,” Jihyo said in the same post. “As the first step in this new chapter, I have established my own company, Emithaus.”
Drawing on the word “emit,” meaning to give off or release, Jihyo hopes to take on new challenges through the company and demonstrate her limitless potential as an artist, Emithaus said in a press release.
“I hope this will be a place where I can freely explore and bring to life even the possibilities within me that I have yet to discover,” Jihyo wrote.
Jihyo will continue her activities as a member of Twice while pursuing her solo career, the agency added.
Jihyo debuted as a member of Twice under JYP Entertainment in 2015, after joining the agency as a trainee in her childhood. The group is known for hits including “Cheer Up” (2016), “TT” (2016) and “What Is Love?” (2018).
She made her solo debut in 2023 with her first solo EP “Zone.”
BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]