TWICE leader Jihyo has officially ended her 21-year relationship with JYP Entertainment and launched her own agency, EMITHAUS, to manage her solo activities. The singer announced the news in a letter to fans, reflecting on her journey from childhood trainee to one of K-pop’s most established performers while reassuring ONCE that TWICE remains an irreplaceable part of her life.
Jihyo joined JYP Entertainment in 2005, spending her childhood, teenage years and adulthood with the company before debuting as TWICE’s leader in 2015. In her statement, she acknowledged the difficulty of putting more than two decades of memories into words, thanking the people who supported her through both the good and challenging moments of her career.
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“After 21 years, my journey with JYP Entertainment, which began when I was just a child, has come to an end,” she wrote. “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.” Alongside the announcement, Jihyo shared footage from her early training days, offering fans a glimpse into the years that preceded her rise with TWICE.
Her next chapter will unfold through EMITHAUS, a company established to oversee her individual projects. The name draws inspiration from “emit,” meaning to express or release, reflecting her intention to explore creative possibilities beyond the familiar structures of her previous agency. Jihyo described independence not as a conclusion to her past, but as a deliberate decision about how she wants to approach the future.
“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,” she explained. “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.” She added that she intends to approach her decisions and new ventures with greater thoughtfulness and responsibility.
Despite the change, Jihyo emphasized that her departure from JYP does not mean leaving TWICE. The group remains central to her career, and her move concerns her solo activities rather than her commitment to the nine-member act. She becomes the third TWICE member, following Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung, to leave JYP for individual career plans while maintaining the group’s activities.
The announcement follows speculation that emerged in July, when South Korean media reported that several members were considering changes to their individual contracts. JYP Entertainment initially said TWICE was in its contract renewal discussion period and that negotiations were ongoing. Reports also raised questions about Tzuyu’s future with the agency, although her situation should be distinguished from Jihyo’s now-confirmed decision.
The timing comes after a demanding stretch for TWICE, whose This Is For World Tour included 81 shows across Asia, North America, Europe and Oceania. The group also marked its 10th anniversary with Ten: The Story Goes On, a special release featuring “Me+You” and solo tracks from all nine members. Jihyo has previously spoken about the need for an extended break after nearly 11 years of continuous group promotions, making this period an important transition for both the group and its individual members.
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