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| Jessica’s celebrity skyrocketed after starring in 2012’s ‘Wild Romance’ |
The world of K-pop girl groups was shattered just a little in the past 24 hours when it was announced that Jessica has been dropped from Girls’ Generation following several hours of social media frenzy.
It all started yesterday morning when Jessica, one of Girls’ Generation’s nine members — but possibly the most high-profile — posted on Weibo, a Twitter-like service based in China:
“I was excited about our upcoming fan events only to shockingly be informed by my company and 8 others that as of today, I’m no longer a member. I’m devastated — my priority and love is to serve as a member of GG, but for no justifiable reason, I am being forced out.”
Initial speculation centered around whether Jessica’s Weibo account had been hacked. But several hours later, SM Entertainment released an official statement that confirmed that Jessica will no longer be a part of Girls’ Generation moving forward. It also provided additional information about her departure that disputed Jessica’s self-depiction as “being forced out” of the group.
In the statement, SM Entertainment claims that Jessica informed the agency last spring that she intended to end her involvement with Girls’ Generation after one more album to pursue other personal projects. She then started her fashion label, Blanc Group, supposedly without securing the agency’s approval. When negotiations broke down between the agency and Jessica over “differences in priorities and interest,” the agency said it had “no choice but to pull up Girls’ Generation’s activities as 8 members earlier than planned.” But while they were discussing how best to announce the news, the statement said Jessica jumped the gun and “posted her words early this morning.”
The statement also said that Jessica is still under contract with SM Entertainment, and the agency will continue to support her “individual activities.”
The news is so momentous for K-pop that even The Wall Street Journal covered the news with the headline “K-Pop Earthquake: Girls’ Generation Member Jessica Jung Ousted.”
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Born in San Francisco, California, Jessica and her famous sister, Krystal of f(x) — who is currently starring in the popular drama “She’s So Lovable” with Rain — were both scouted by SM Entertainment in a mall while on vacation in South Korea at the age of 11. After seven years of training, Jessica was chosen to be a member of Girls’ Generation. Since then, Jessica has released several solo songs and branched out into modeling and acting — most notably in the musical theater production of “Legally Blonde” and in the popular 2012 K-drama “Wild Romance.” Earlier this year, Jessica and Krystal starred in their own reality show that followed the famous siblings in their daily, glamorous lives.
It also has been widely reported that Jessica plans to wed Tyler Kwon, a man she has been rumored to be dating for many years. Kwon is chairman and CEO of Coridel Group in New York.
It also has been widely reported that Jessica plans to wed Tyler Kwon, a man she has been rumored to be dating for many years. Kwon is chairman and CEO of Coridel Group in New York.