KARA, the South Korean girl group, disbanded after working together for nine years. The contracts of three of its members have expired in Jan. 15 and they decided not to renew anymore. The break-up was confirmed by the band's agency DSP Media.
In a statement, the agency revealed that they will no longer represent Goo Hara, Han Seung Yeon and Park Gyuri. The three singers will now transfer to new agencies and pursue new career directions. The fourth member Heo Young Ji will stay with the company as she still has a few years left to fulfill in her contract, Soompi reported.
DSP Media added that they respect the members' decisions and wish them well in whatever path they will choose to take in the future. In any case, the rumors of the group's disbandment have been floating around since the last quarter of 2015, but it was only now that everything was clarified.
KARA debuted in 2007. After three years, they made their way to Japan and enjoyed immense popularity. The group's success helped paved the way for other Korean artists to enter the Japanese market. Some of the group's hits include "Mister," "Honey," "Pandora" and "Mamma Mia."
Meanwhile, it was confirmed that Goo already signed a contract with Key East Entertainment. With her transfer, she would like to focus more on acting and hopes to become a good actress, Allkpop reported.
Goo also uploaded a handwritten note on her Twitter. In the letter, she explained about her group's disbandment and shared her future plans as well.
According to Kpopstarz, Goo said that the decision to leave her group and agency was not easy but she wants to try out something new. She also mentioned how much her fans mean to her.
"Being a Kara member for so long, I experienced and felt so many things that people at my age haven't," Goo wrote. "I received a huge amount of love from fans and I don't want to regret any of the memories from the time I was with KARA," she added.
Finally, at the end of her letter, Goo thanked her supporters and made a promise to come back as a better artist.
