Group TWICE member Jeongyeon is leaving JYP Entertainment, where she has been for about 11 years since her debut, and will embark on a new challenge as an actor at Baro Entertainment, which her older sister Gong Seung-yeon belongs to. TWICE activities will continue as before.
On the 10th, Jeongyeon posted a handwritten letter on her social media and said she is leaving JYP Entertainment. Jeongyeon said, "I am leaving JYP, which has been with me for a long time since my teenage years, and now I am trying to make another start in a new place."
Jeongyeon said, "I was afraid to leave a familiar place, but I was able to be brave because I had the members and ONCE who believed in me," and added, "I am grateful to our members and ONCE, to an extent that words cannot fully express, and to the JYP family who helped me grow."
The new agency is Baro Entertainment. Baro Entertainment said that day it signed an exclusive contract with Jeongyeon. It is an actor-focused agency whose roster includes her older sister, actor Gong Seung-yeon, as well as Jin Goo, Byeon Woo-seok, Lee Yoo-mi, and Lee Chae-min.
Baro Entertainment said it "deeply empathized with Jeongyeon's sincere attitude and genuineness toward acting," and added, "We will support her in many ways so that her new challenge as an actor, as well as her group activities, can continue smoothly."
Jeongyeon also made clear that she will continue TWICE activities. Jeongyeon said, "I have moved my home base and started a new challenge, but TWICE, the biggest core within me, will remain unchanged as it is," and emphasized, "As a member of TWICE, standing before ONCE will always come first."
Jeongyeon debuted with TWICE in 2015 and has been active with hit songs such as "Cheer Up," "TT," and "LIKEY." All TWICE members renewed their contracts with JYP Entertainment in 2022, but as their individual activities have expanded, interest has continued in the members' future affiliations.
Jeongyeon said, "I will prepare each step with sincerity, both as Jeongyeon of TWICE and for the new challenges of Yoo Jeong-yeon that I will face ahead."