Jihyo, the leader of K-pop group TWICE, has ended her contract with JYP Entertainment after 21 years with the agency, which she joined in 2005 when she was 8 years old. She broke the news on 21 October in a handwritten letter, according to Thanh Niên, which cited Kbizoom. In the same letter she said she has set up her own company, EMITHAUS, to handle her individual work, and made clear that leaving JYP does not mean leaving TWICE.

What the letter said

Jihyo wrote that JYP had been with her since she was a child, through her teenage years and into adulthood, and thanked the people at the company who had supported her and helped her grow over more than two decades. She framed going independent not as closing the door on the past but as a choice about how she wants to live and build her career from here.

The name EMITHAUS, she explained, comes from the word "emit", in the sense of spreading outward. She described the company as a place where she can freely explore, develop and act on abilities she had not yet had the chance to show. Thanh Niên reported that she plans to keep building her solo career under EMITHAUS, with an eye on new experiments and a new artistic colour.

Where this leaves TWICE

On the group, Jihyo was unambiguous: she called TWICE an irreplaceable part of her life and said she will keep performing with the other members and making more memories with them in the years ahead. She also thanked ONCE, the group's fandom, for trusting and standing by her for the past 11 years.

Thanh Niên's report does not include a response from JYP Entertainment and says nothing about the contracts of the other members.

Twenty-one years in brief

  • 2005: Joins JYP Entertainment at 8 years old and spends years in training.
  • 2015: Debuts with TWICE, going on to lead the group for more than a decade.
  • With TWICE: Sings on TWICE hits including Cheer Up, TT and What Is Love?, while building a reputation for her vocals and songwriting.
  • 2023: Makes her solo debut with the mini album ZONE, co-writing six tracks besides the lead single Killin' Me Good.
  • 21 October 2026: Announces the end of her JYP contract and the launch of EMITHAUS.

What comes next

Jihyo's solo work now runs through EMITHAUS while she stays in TWICE. The source gives no date for her first release under the new company or for TWICE's next activities; KBVN+ will update when there is an official announcement.