TWICE's Jihyo leaves JYP Entertainment after 21 years, launches her own agency EMITHAUS

TWICE leader Jihyo has closed one of the longest artist-agency relationships in K-pop. She announced on Wednesday that she has parted ways with JYP Entertainment and founded her own agency, EMITHAUS.

Jihyo exits JYP Entertainment, launches independent agency

The singer shared the news in a handwritten letter posted on Instagram on October 21. She thanked everyone at JYP who stood by her and helped her grow over the years, and said her journey with the company, which began in childhood, had come to an end. She called EMITHAUS "the first step in this new chapter."

Fans' biggest question was whether this means leaving the group. It doesn't. Jihyo stressed that leaving JYP does not mean leaving TWICE. Her new agency said she will keep working as a member of the group alongside her solo career.

The name draws on the word "emit," meaning to give off or release. According to the agency's press release, Jihyo hopes to take on new challenges and show her limitless potential as an artist. EMITHAUS is a one-person agency, built to expand an artist's individuality and creative potential through music and other types of content. Jihyo plans to widen her solo activities across several fields, including music.

Jihyo framed the move as forward-looking. She described going independent as a choice about how she wants to live and work from here on, and said she will make future decisions with greater care and responsibility. She also said she hopes the agency will be a place to explore sides of herself she hasn't yet discovered.

According to reports Jihyo had decided to leave JYP and was leaning toward a one-person agency. At the time, JYP said TWICE was in a renegotiation period and that it would share details once the matter was finalised.

On July 28, Jihyo posted on the fan platform Bubble, saying her heart felt heavy and asking fans to trust her whatever she chose. She added that she truly loves and cherishes TWICE.

Jihyo joined JYP as a trainee in 2005 and debuted with TWICE in 2015. All nine members renewed their contracts with the agency in 2022, which kept the group together past the industry's so-called "seven-year curse." She is reportedly the third TWICE member to formally part ways with JYP.

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