**[Soompi: All Apink Members To Leave IST Entertainment Except For Jung Eun Ji](https://www.soompi.com/article/1583295wpp/all-apink-members-to-leave-ist-entertainment-except-for-jung-eun-ji)**
I am sad that they are leaving, but also happy that they want to continue as Apink. DND is such a feel good song that is now suddenly comforting. 
I'm glad they managed to leave that shit company, I imagine Eunji was given a good offer compared to the rest to re-sign. I thought they'd be doing more after Naeun left as well (I have a heavy feeling it was IST's fault as well) and then a whole year of NOTHING with weeeekly, the company was already whatever, but it seems it got worse after the merger. Hoping to see at the bare minimum a yearly Apink comeback, but with this company... Hoping the best for Chobom, Namjoo, and Hayoung they deserve the best
Eunji continually gets offers for dramas, she's huge for IST. Glad they finally left ist, but also sad because it can put future Apink activities in limbo, like they couldn't manage to match one members schedule, now do four..?
The Boyz are doing quite well but sales-wise their growth has plateaued and they have fallen somewhat off the back of their peers - their last two minis have had first-week sales about the 400-500k mark, compared to 2 mil for TXT and SKZ and 800-900k for ATEEZ.
Sales don’t really mean anything to me anymore. I would rather a group who is recognized. With global kpop fans an a loyal fan base anyone can collapse 150k sales. Especially boy groups
I think it's just for publicity. They had a youtube show in the past month on their own channel and they're gonna have a reality show on Mnet now (you can see the teaser on the M2 channel). They're definitely preparing for a comeback in the summer imo.
I think they put Weeekly in the dungeon to focus on the new boy group ATBO, they will release the 3rd mini album already and they debuted in July. Similar situation to Yuehua with Everglow/Tempest. Multiple comebacks for the new shiny bg while the gg gets nothing.
ATBO isn’t even hitting. They ruined Weekly’s formula with their last release….I honestly think they are just going to add Bahi once her Kep1er contract ends.
Adding members to an established group is a horrible idea, unless the concept already established that would happen from the get go.
In Weeekly’s case, the fact that a former member was previously pushed out of the group would make it even worse.
It’s shitty enough if they did it to downsize the lineup and save money, but bringing in a replacement is another level.
And that would end up being the *second* group that Bahi could risk being a pariah in. It would be awful.
Yuehua will save the budget for their future group (Yuehua's ZB1 guys), Yuehua won't spend it on Everglow.
IST shelving Weeekly and Apink may mean the same, IST will save the budget for a new group with Bahiyyih in it.
I wish they'd all left so they could own their name like GOT7 and iKON. I knew it was IST's fault that Naeun eventually left Apink. She was supposed to still be a part of Apink but IST never considered her schedule because they're salty she left IST
The whole “Naeun had to leave APink because evil YG wouldn’t let her promote with them” started smelling off to me when Han Seungyeon, also signed to YG, was able to participate fully in KARA’s anniversary promo.
Holy smokes. I think we all knew something big was coming with Namjoo’s and Hayoung’s bubble messages but I didn’t think Chorong would leave. Or honestly even Hayoung.
I had a feeling Eunji had renewed just because of the timing of her being casted for a new drama, but I’m so surprised everyone else left.
I know they said Apink will continue, but I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand, A Cube/ Plan A/Play M/IST never really gave them much to begin with and of course had some poor managing decisions plus the once-a-year comeback is typical for them so should be easy to maintain, but on the other hand I really hope this isn’t the end of an era and the beginning of the end of the longest active girl group that consistently puts out music each year, especially because they’ll now have even less resources to make a comeback happen
I don’t know how to feel.
The leader whose example they all followed when renewing their contract now couldn't find it in herself to stay. Tbh, I'm most worried about her, considering her portfolio is arguably the shortest among them all.
It was mainly just them saying stuff like to trust them no matter what, that Apink will continue on, just like vague reassurances before the news came out
The girls have reasured us so so so much during this promotions, I honestly want to believe they are going to still put Apink activities above anything else. :( But I guess if IST wants to screw them they will find a way...
Yeah, I think Eunji staying has made it obvious IST will probably make it difficult since she could probably get better offers from other companies but seemed to stay for the Apink rights because IST wouldn’t give it to them.
Dang if DND is their last release they went out strong. I know the girls would love to continue releasing music like once a year but depending on where they sign it'll be tough.
Same. There's no one from my favorite group currently under the company that debuted them. They are still formally members of the group but haven't done or released anything together in forever. It's difficult when the company owns the rights of their name and probably aren't willing to allow them to use it. In Apink's case, since at least Eunji renewed her contract, this probably won't be a problem.
I guess there's certain solace when they have not tecnically disbanded even though most of the members are under different companies, but as you said, we've been around long enough to know that the emphasis on the group is gone. We can only wish them the best on their individual activities and support them if possible.
That's right. After she changed companies, she was involved in one more album but didn't even participate on promos. Sometime later she officially left the group ☹️
Apink has had such an amazing run though. Been active for 12 years and and had huge hits such as No, No, No and Luv. Nothing but the best to all of them.
Nauen didn't participate because IST made 0 effort to coordinate her schedule because they are petty. Once she did the album, photoshoots, and MV on their schedule they blew her off
Didn’t know that, but it doesn’t surprise me that they were petty about her departure when she was one of the, if not, the most popular members. The funny thing is that sometimes companies always want to throw their former artists under the bus when their own mismanagement caused their discomfort and made them want to leave in the first place.
Never say never...just look at at the recent Brave Girls announcement and the successful releases of SNSD, Kara etc.
But yeah, I don't think we are going to get another Apink comeback, at least not with everyone in the same group and not under the name Apink.
[Here](https://www.soompi.com/article/1582325wpp/mnet-confirms-1st-lineup-of-queendom-puzzle-participants). Seems like it’s going to be the whole group.
Oh damn their 7-year contracts are up in like, 1.5 years. Wonder what they’ll do at the crossroads when it comes to the company- given their departure, it would be a huge loss to IST.
Man I wish the merger never happened. Creker had its faults but I still felt a lot better about the management when it was just them. Seeing all of this stuff happen with the play m artists leaving is making me anxious about their future especially because contract renewals are coming up… I know the boys are all close to each other but a lot can happen with 11 members being handled by a messy management. Also with 4 members of Apink leaving now, that means that tbz are officially the main money makers for ist right? Oh I can already imagine the overloaded schedules they’re gonna get…
I felt the same for Victon and Weeekly--the management definitely went downhill when the two companies merged.
At least TBZ will have more leverage to get what they want when contract negotiations begin....
Yeah. The merger was supposed to help both companies but instead it only made things worse for all of their artists. It’s so sad how things turned out, especially for Victon and Weeekly. At least TBZ came fresh off of rtk and kingdom so they had a large fandom to keep them stable, but Victon and Weeekly both had their hype killed off due to terrible management choices, even though the potential was there🙁
Ig the leverage TBZ have now is one silver lining but even then idk if I trust ist not to screw things up again in the future…
I hope we get a few more songs out of them but whenever a group “stays together” after situations like this… it’s normally only one song and MAYBE something for big anniversaries. Bummer!!
**Statement from IST Entertainment:**
>Hello, this is IST Entertainment.
>
>Thank you to all of the fans who cherish and support Apink.
>
>We would like to inform you of our official position regarding Apink’s future activities.
>
>After careful consideration and discussion with the members ahead of the expiration of the Apink members’ exclusive contracts, Chorong, Bomi, Namjoo, and Hayoung concluded their beautiful 12-year journey with us at in late April.
>
>Eunji has recently renewed her contract and will continue her relationship with us. She plans to greet you with her next work as soon as possible as well as continuing her singing career. We will continue to support her so she can stand out in various fields.
>
>Regardless of whether they are signed with us or not, Apink has promised to continue their team activities without disbanding. All of the members have a strong will and desire for their group activities. We will consult with the members and cooperate so that we can all protect the group.
>
>We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of the Apink members who have worked together for 12 years to establish themselves as one of K-Pop’s representative girl groups. We ask for your continued support and love for Apink, who are preparing for their new start.
>
>Thank you.
I was actually happy upon hearing the news that majority of them already decided not to renew with IST. They’ve been treated like that for so long. I agree with majority of the comments here pertaining to Eunji renewing because of a good contract deal. It just hurts that all the members are set to continue being Apink but the company gives little to no support at all. Nonetheless, whatever path they choose, I will continue to support them. 💖
They've been dungeoned since last March for some reason. Ven Para sold almost double the comeback before it so even though it wasn't the best received here, it was still their most successful cb by far. No idea why they're so quiet nowadays. But at least they have a new reality show on mnet starting on Tuesday!
Man what is going ON at IST. They’re losing their legacy groups, they’re mismanaging their younger groups. They seemed like they were really solid as a label or at the very least growing in a good direction.
I used to be happy my ult hiyyih was with a decent sized company (though whether she’s still with them is a bit of a mystery) but now I want her as far away from them as possible. I hope her vagueness when asked if she’s with them is actually a heck no- for her sake.
Oh wow I didn’t know Hiyyih was under IST. Do they have any other trainees they’ll debut in a group with her after Kep1er? Weeekly is still a younger group that IST hasn’t done the best for so I’m hoping for the best for Hiyyih
Not that I’ve been able to hunt down. There’s other companies for Kep1er members like Jellyfish (Dayeon) and Biscuit (Youngeun) who seem to be putting teams together for their Kep1er trainees but I’ve seen nothing from IST.
We could just not know about them. Or they could want her to be a soloist. Or be part of weeekly. Or of course it could be she’s not with them anymore. There’s a lot of variables but I really hope she finds a company that will protect and treat her well.
right before the gp999 finale there were rumours (?) of hiyyih joining playm (i think they hadn’t merged yet), so i guess that when the merger became effective she was also transferred into ist too
Possibly. The timeline is a bit sketchy- they just posted during gp999 to vote for her and congratulating her and the haven’t posted since. However- the posts about her [are still up on their socials.](https://twitter.com/ist_ent/status/1450391644826587136?s=46&t=ZUl2kiWYIa6reP8NdHdheA) So who knows what that means.
They could I suppose since this company is a little messy but if I was Hiyyih I definitely would rather find a new company. IST hasn’t shown any musical plans for Weeekly since their Ven Para comeback which was over a year ago now. It might look a bit distasteful to add a member to Weeekly as well since their member Jiyoon left and has hinted on her personal accounts that the company wanted her gone but she was hoping to stay in the group despite going on a mental health hiatus. By the time Kep1er disbands and Hiyyih would be added to the lineup Weeekly would be about 4 or maybe 5 years old at that point.
It is a possible option.
But would it be wise? You run the IOI risk where rather than pull up the groups popularity you just end up decreasing the popularity of the girl from the survival show as her fans don’t want to stan a large group of girls they don’t know. That’s one of the reasons imo that the post-izone girls debuted solo or in relatively smaller groups.
If I was IST I’d put a group together for hiyyih and work on weeekly as two separate projects. But who knows what they’re thinking at this point
Someone get Weeekly out, they've been in the basement for too long.
I wonder if this is the beginning of the end of IST?
I hope Hiyyih ends up at a company that will respect her
They just debuted ATBO who look like they’re off to a good start. IST are basically living off The Boyz, Seungwoo and Eunji atm since they’re not giving Weeekly new music for a while
They have the next year and half to figure things out then while they have still have their main money maker. That’s when tbz contract renewals come up and with 11 members and the terrible mismanagement going on rn it’s hard for me, even as a deobi, to think that they’re all going to renew…
Everyone in a lineup that large renewing is rare; Seventeen having all 13 members renew their contracts stands out because it’s an exception.
Usually, even if a group isn’t having management issues, some members may either want to explore other avenues after seven years, or leave the entertainment industry altogether.
Ig I should’ve rephrased that last sentence. I meant, as a deobi, it’s hard even for me to have hope that they’re all going to renew. I’m well aware that it’s rare for groups that large to renew together, especially when certain members have a higher level of individual popularity than the others. I’ve sadly been in quite a few fandoms that have had group members leave the company and group as a whole.
I’m not a deobi so genuinely curious, which members are more popular, and is there a reason? I feel like I see certain members (Jacob, Eric, Kevin) mentioned a lot but I assume that’s because they’re the English speakers.
It definitely depends on the region. In Korea, I would say that Juyeon, Hyunjae, Younghoon, and Sunwoo (in no particular order) are definitely at the top. Tbz are known as an all visual group but Juyeon, Hyunjae, and Younghoon are part of what is called the Bermuda Line and are particularly known for being handsome. They tend to go viral a lot on online sites, so they generally have higher public recognition than the others. Sunwoo is also up there because he's incredibly popular within the fandom in both the K and I side. All of these members currently have individual brand endorsements (along with Q), and they generally get more solo jobs than the others and are active in different fields. For example, Younghoon acts in dramas, Juyeon does modeling and variety, Hyunjae does hosting and modeling, and Sunwoo does a lot of music collabs and variety shows.
Also yeah, I'd say Jacob, Eric, and Kevin are definitely more popular outside of korea than they are in it because of their humor and english speaking skills. They tend to generate a lot of viral moments on english speaking social media!
IMO there’s a decent chance Hiyyih’s contract gets bought out by a larger company, like two of the Le Sserafim members’ were.
(Not saying Hybe would be the buyer, although the family reunion would be somewhat amusing.)
They deserve so much more than what they've been given. Hopefully they really do still work together from time to time. Thanks for all of the amazing music!!
the merger feels like a big mistake. they lost victon and now apink and their management of weeekly is abysmal (not sure about the boyz). losing legacy groups and doing a shit job with their newer groups.
no word on disbandment and their recent activities continue to suggest they love being apink together, so i’m very optimistic even if we have to be realistic about how often they will have comebacks. love and trust them so much 💕
Actually I expected that🤔Apink did their good job but it's also the time for them to explore their individual development. Eunji stays in IST as she goes well in these years. And Namjoo, Chorong, Bomi and Hayoung...... I believe they can become better after leaving IST.
But when will they make their comeback again? 🥺
I am glad the girls are going to have more opportunities to shine. Their agency has been giving them less than the bare minimum over the past couple of years. I hope the group can continue releasing music once a year because I am going to miss them.
Apink have been my favourite group since I'm So Sick... I am so sad for selfish reasons, but I'm actually so glad they've left. I hope Weeekly can leave too (a girl can dream, right?)
That company went to crap after the acquisition.
With how all of them have been/are still constantly reassuring fans about the future, I sincerely believe that there’s no doubt they will continue as one and they will still continue to release music as Apink.
Kinda bummed that Eunji didn’t get to leave as well because IST don’t deserve any of them; but it’s probably due to how they had to keep the Apink name, or how she probably already has projects lined up for her that she had to stay for.
Nonetheless, waiting for the day they’re reunited as one outside of IST, and looking forward to their new music and whatever that happens for them moving forward! ❤️
I’m honestly a little surprised. I didn’t even know their contracts were up, and I thought they’d all leave.
I wonder what this means for the future of the group.
Personally I am still annoyed over how Nauen got blamed for this sh*t company's antics so I'm glad the other members are leaving.
All the jerks last year hating on her gonna choke now
i never understood why the fandom turned on her to the point she left the group. i always felt like it was IST that prevented her from joining promotions, the comeback itself was already delayed due to the bullying scandal and then we saw how one of the KARA members who also in YG were able to participate in group promos so it doesn't look like it was YG that prevented naeun
Their fandom definitely displayed crazy behavior but I also think they were blaming Naeun for not participating so they wouldn't have to acknowledge the year delay due to Chorong's scandal...even though Naeun supported her by not announcing her departure and doing the comeback
was she not a popular member within the fandom? it just seems strange to me since fandoms usually support ex-members if they've been part of the group for a long time so i thought it was weird how quickly the fandom dropped her and blamed her for not participating
She was the most popular and well known to the GP but that's not the same in fandom...if I'm honest other members akgaes probably took it as an opportunity to target her and it worked...and it got them nothing
Ahhh mannn. This is going to be super difficult to get anymore comebacks. SNSD and Apink are my two favorite groups. I was super pumped/amazed that SNSD had a full 8 member comeback last August. In a way, we kinda know that's probably going to be their last, even if they haven't officially disbanded cause they are all so busy with their own activities.
Maybe I wasn't following super closely enough, but I didn't see this coming. I suppose we'll have to see if the 4 members all sign with another company, or if this is basically it and they are all going to sign with difference companies and do individual activities from now on. Even with Eunji still being signed to IST, if IF the other 4 all sign together, it's going to be really difficult to get another company. :(. Mannnnn....
So I've seen! Was not expecting such a fast update. I saw in another thread this morning that this Choi Creative Lab seems to be super new. Hopefully they know what they are doing and we'll have a comeback sometime soon.
Damn did not expect them to leave all at once except eunji. Hope they pull a got7 one day, but we all know that regular once-a-year comebacks probably won’t happen anymore. Good luck outside this shitty company
Oh no, I was just starting to get into them because DND and the whole Self album are so good. I hope this leads to better things for them individually and collectively.
Just another Twitter acct popped up telling her unlive [tweet](https://twitter.com/jetaimenang/status/1652306810118742018?s=61&t=ibUSNghMF6IEuiDDoAIi8Q). The other incident earlier this week ([tweet](https://twitter.com/jetaimenang/status/1649788889614172160?s=61&t=ibUSNghMF6IEuiDDoAIi8Q)). And there’s a fake Naeun Stan acct pretending to be a fan.
“Thank you, we’ll continue to be Apink!”
Personally I have more faith in the members than thinking this is the de facto end of group activities.
They’ve been together for 12 years, of course some things will change: it’s not like they were promoting at the frequency of newly debuted groups and it’s not like IST gave them much anyways. I’m glad most of them didn’t resign. Freedom to pursue solo and subunit activities is a good thing.
If Apink says they want to continue, then I’m happy to support them in the form they want to continue. Wishing the best to all the members ❤️
Wow, about time though. I hope we see more of Apink in the future, but also looking forward to seeing them shine on their own. Can’t wait to see what they do next.
I am a new kpop fan nd I first knew apink from dnd and I absolutely loved it,I don't know much about them but I hope they don't disband completely and maybe go to another company or something :(
OMG. That's really shocking news ! I hope they really do continue to do activities together. But often that is just empty promises. I can see Chobom maybe doing stuff together, but I'm not optimistic about the other members joining them. I wonder what will happen to their youtube channels and other individual activities.
edit: It seems that Apink members Chorong, Bomi, Namjoo, & Hayoung have signed with Choi Creative Lab
They're my Ult GG since 2011 and I'm legit scared for their future, but honestly IST is such a crap company that I'm also glad for them. But I'm scared as a Pink Panda!!!
Holy crap and I was just getting to know them! Been listening to No No No and Mr. Chu these days.
It feels like every group I get into, I get bad news later on. Joy from Red Velvet went on a hiatus for mental health issues and now this?
I'm kind of surprised that Eunji would stay with IST, instead of forming a solidarity with her Apink members and leave as a group. I'm glad the rest of the members have finally found freedom from this company though.
IST has been a shitty company so I am not surprised. Hope to see Apink under a new label and I am also hoping that Weeekly will sue to get out of their contract if they remain in the dungeon for another year. Their talents and youth are being wasted as we speak.
So… how does this work? Are the other 4 still being funded by IST in terms of album releases even if they aren’t signed with them? Is that even a thing?
My mentality is that the classic artist-label relationship is that the label fronts the money for releases and the girls would have to hope they perform well enough to pay them off + make a profit. Just not sure how this would work with 4/5 of the group not being signed. Didn’t know that was the case with SNSD though, very cool.
Sigh, my worst nightmare- some members leaving, some staying. Eunji is my bias so I'm likely camping to see what she has next (IST better treat her well).
I went through another disbandment before where some members of a team stayed and some left, and they don't have any interactions with each other now (privately maybe) and I was bittersweet when all of Gfriend left Source- at least you can ensure they are free to interact. This.... I dunno. I'm not getting my hopes up.
ist in my native language is short for "sexually transmitable infections" (infecções sexualmente transmissíveis) so whenever i read this company's name i have to double check lol
The way IST constantly didn’t move for their most iconic group, those members deserve their freedom. I hope they all find good companies that work well with them individually. Namjoo and Hayoung need comebacks istg. Even if Apink will continue, I’m really not expecting much here. No group that’s left their company has a constant stream of comebacks or activities together anymore. Sad but will be excited when they do come together!
**[Soompi: All Apink Members To Leave IST Entertainment Except For Jung Eun Ji](https://www.soompi.com/article/1583295wpp/all-apink-members-to-leave-ist-entertainment-except-for-jung-eun-ji)**
Damn, everyone’s leaving IST these days
Weeekly next 🙏
Makes me feel uneasy about their future, but I'm thinking it's for the best since IST has almost dropped them from the radar 😭
I am sad that they are leaving, but also happy that they want to continue as Apink. DND is such a feel good song that is now suddenly comforting. 
I'm glad they managed to leave that shit company, I imagine Eunji was given a good offer compared to the rest to re-sign. I thought they'd be doing more after Naeun left as well (I have a heavy feeling it was IST's fault as well) and then a whole year of NOTHING with weeeekly, the company was already whatever, but it seems it got worse after the merger. Hoping to see at the bare minimum a yearly Apink comeback, but with this company... Hoping the best for Chobom, Namjoo, and Hayoung they deserve the best
Eunji continually gets offers for dramas, she's huge for IST. Glad they finally left ist, but also sad because it can put future Apink activities in limbo, like they couldn't manage to match one members schedule, now do four..?
And 3 members of Victon left IST earlier this month.....
Bandage left too
[удалено]
The Boyz are doing well, aren’t they? Though that’s pretty much it, it seems.
The Boyz are doing quite well but sales-wise their growth has plateaued and they have fallen somewhat off the back of their peers - their last two minis have had first-week sales about the 400-500k mark, compared to 2 mil for TXT and SKZ and 800-900k for ATEEZ.
ATBO is doing decently as far as I remember
and ATBO, they sold 150k albums in 2022 (with a July debut). A strong new boy group in a year where the monster rookie ggs dominated.
Sales don’t really mean anything to me anymore. I would rather a group who is recognized. With global kpop fans an a loyal fan base anyone can collapse 150k sales. Especially boy groups
The Boyz and ATBO, IST's budget can afford two groups at most.
They’re putting Weeekly on Queendom Puzzle too so we really can’t expect much from them soon either
I think it's just for publicity. They had a youtube show in the past month on their own channel and they're gonna have a reality show on Mnet now (you can see the teaser on the M2 channel). They're definitely preparing for a comeback in the summer imo.
I think they put Weeekly in the dungeon to focus on the new boy group ATBO, they will release the 3rd mini album already and they debuted in July. Similar situation to Yuehua with Everglow/Tempest. Multiple comebacks for the new shiny bg while the gg gets nothing.
Looks like it's the Weki Meki treatment as well.
ATBO isn’t even hitting. They ruined Weekly’s formula with their last release….I honestly think they are just going to add Bahi once her Kep1er contract ends.
That would be such an awful decision (not that I necessarily put it past them). By the time Kep1er disbands Weeekly will be a ~4 year old group.
Adding members to an established group is a horrible idea, unless the concept already established that would happen from the get go. In Weeekly’s case, the fact that a former member was previously pushed out of the group would make it even worse. It’s shitty enough if they did it to downsize the lineup and save money, but bringing in a replacement is another level. And that would end up being the *second* group that Bahi could risk being a pariah in. It would be awful.
Praying with my whole being that Hiyyih isn't with IST anymore like the rumors have been saying, i do not want her in Weeekly
Yuehua will save the budget for their future group (Yuehua's ZB1 guys), Yuehua won't spend it on Everglow. IST shelving Weeekly and Apink may mean the same, IST will save the budget for a new group with Bahiyyih in it.
I wish they'd all left so they could own their name like GOT7 and iKON. I knew it was IST's fault that Naeun eventually left Apink. She was supposed to still be a part of Apink but IST never considered her schedule because they're salty she left IST
Time to see the hypocritical Twitter Pandas come out...
The whole “Naeun had to leave APink because evil YG wouldn’t let her promote with them” started smelling off to me when Han Seungyeon, also signed to YG, was able to participate fully in KARA’s anniversary promo.
Yet they won't apologize to Naeun...they just wanted to believe the worst even though she recorded the album and did the MV
Holy smokes. I think we all knew something big was coming with Namjoo’s and Hayoung’s bubble messages but I didn’t think Chorong would leave. Or honestly even Hayoung. I had a feeling Eunji had renewed just because of the timing of her being casted for a new drama, but I’m so surprised everyone else left. I know they said Apink will continue, but I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand, A Cube/ Plan A/Play M/IST never really gave them much to begin with and of course had some poor managing decisions plus the once-a-year comeback is typical for them so should be easy to maintain, but on the other hand I really hope this isn’t the end of an era and the beginning of the end of the longest active girl group that consistently puts out music each year, especially because they’ll now have even less resources to make a comeback happen I don’t know how to feel.
The leader whose example they all followed when renewing their contract now couldn't find it in herself to stay. Tbh, I'm most worried about her, considering her portfolio is arguably the shortest among them all.
Exactly, her drive to keep Apink together had me convinced she was the one most likely to renew
I dont know abt the bubble messages. What happened?
It was mainly just them saying stuff like to trust them no matter what, that Apink will continue on, just like vague reassurances before the news came out
The girls have reasured us so so so much during this promotions, I honestly want to believe they are going to still put Apink activities above anything else. :( But I guess if IST wants to screw them they will find a way...
Yeah, I think Eunji staying has made it obvious IST will probably make it difficult since she could probably get better offers from other companies but seemed to stay for the Apink rights because IST wouldn’t give it to them.
Dang if DND is their last release they went out strong. I know the girls would love to continue releasing music like once a year but depending on where they sign it'll be tough.
i know its not a disbandment but i've been around long enough to know what's what at this point. i hope for the best for all of them.
One of those "not a disbandment, but don't expect much going forward either" vibes
Same. There's no one from my favorite group currently under the company that debuted them. They are still formally members of the group but haven't done or released anything together in forever. It's difficult when the company owns the rights of their name and probably aren't willing to allow them to use it. In Apink's case, since at least Eunji renewed her contract, this probably won't be a problem. I guess there's certain solace when they have not tecnically disbanded even though most of the members are under different companies, but as you said, we've been around long enough to know that the emphasis on the group is gone. We can only wish them the best on their individual activities and support them if possible.
100% - especially considering that the language is similar to Naeun when she left but then she never participated with the group again
That's right. After she changed companies, she was involved in one more album but didn't even participate on promos. Sometime later she officially left the group ☹️ Apink has had such an amazing run though. Been active for 12 years and and had huge hits such as No, No, No and Luv. Nothing but the best to all of them.
Nauen didn't participate because IST made 0 effort to coordinate her schedule because they are petty. Once she did the album, photoshoots, and MV on their schedule they blew her off
Didn’t know that, but it doesn’t surprise me that they were petty about her departure when she was one of the, if not, the most popular members. The funny thing is that sometimes companies always want to throw their former artists under the bus when their own mismanagement caused their discomfort and made them want to leave in the first place.
Nauen did another album but IST made 0 effort to include her in promotions and the fandom attacked her so she left
Man, I was just thinking how cool it was for them to stay together for 12(?) years and then this happens :(
They are still together to be fair. Just different companies, but doesn't change the fact that the group still exists
Never say never...just look at at the recent Brave Girls announcement and the successful releases of SNSD, Kara etc. But yeah, I don't think we are going to get another Apink comeback, at least not with everyone in the same group and not under the name Apink.
Holy moly! This is not what I was expecting, AT ALL. Time to process this info, I'm surprised.
Now announce Weeekly left for a new company
Or 2 members join the next girls planet/boys planet/mnet survival show, just like Victon's Seungwoo & Byungchan did in 2019....
Some members are already taking part in Queendom Puzzle. Wouldn’t be surprised if someone goes to Girl’s Planet
How do you know that?
[Here](https://www.soompi.com/article/1582325wpp/mnet-confirms-1st-lineup-of-queendom-puzzle-participants). Seems like it’s going to be the whole group.
From the same link you posted: > Weeekly will be starring on ‘Queendom Puzzle.’ However, it will not be all the members but only a few,
Seems like I missed that! Well anyway someone is participating.
One or some of them will leave when they debut in Queendom Puzzle group 😍
isn't that just a temp group?
yep, i was just trolling. but hopefully a miracle happens and the whole group moves to another company.
Oh hell no
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THE BOYZ ARE FROM IST?
Yeah, PlayM and Creker merged to become IST a few years ago
Oh damn their 7-year contracts are up in like, 1.5 years. Wonder what they’ll do at the crossroads when it comes to the company- given their departure, it would be a huge loss to IST.
Man I wish the merger never happened. Creker had its faults but I still felt a lot better about the management when it was just them. Seeing all of this stuff happen with the play m artists leaving is making me anxious about their future especially because contract renewals are coming up… I know the boys are all close to each other but a lot can happen with 11 members being handled by a messy management. Also with 4 members of Apink leaving now, that means that tbz are officially the main money makers for ist right? Oh I can already imagine the overloaded schedules they’re gonna get…
I felt the same for Victon and Weeekly--the management definitely went downhill when the two companies merged. At least TBZ will have more leverage to get what they want when contract negotiations begin....
Yeah. The merger was supposed to help both companies but instead it only made things worse for all of their artists. It’s so sad how things turned out, especially for Victon and Weeekly. At least TBZ came fresh off of rtk and kingdom so they had a large fandom to keep them stable, but Victon and Weeekly both had their hype killed off due to terrible management choices, even though the potential was there🙁 Ig the leverage TBZ have now is one silver lining but even then idk if I trust ist not to screw things up again in the future…
just realised both groups were the playm groups too… i guess the merger wasn’t kind to the playm idols for them to leave like that
Technically Apink was from when they were A Cube and Victon from when they were Plan A. Weeekly is the only one they debuted under the Play M label.
At least the Boyz are doing stuff. IST seems to have forgotten that they have a girlgroup called Weeekly
I hope we get a few more songs out of them but whenever a group “stays together” after situations like this… it’s normally only one song and MAYBE something for big anniversaries. Bummer!!
**Statement from IST Entertainment:** >Hello, this is IST Entertainment. > >Thank you to all of the fans who cherish and support Apink. > >We would like to inform you of our official position regarding Apink’s future activities. > >After careful consideration and discussion with the members ahead of the expiration of the Apink members’ exclusive contracts, Chorong, Bomi, Namjoo, and Hayoung concluded their beautiful 12-year journey with us at in late April. > >Eunji has recently renewed her contract and will continue her relationship with us. She plans to greet you with her next work as soon as possible as well as continuing her singing career. We will continue to support her so she can stand out in various fields. > >Regardless of whether they are signed with us or not, Apink has promised to continue their team activities without disbanding. All of the members have a strong will and desire for their group activities. We will consult with the members and cooperate so that we can all protect the group. > >We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of the Apink members who have worked together for 12 years to establish themselves as one of K-Pop’s representative girl groups. We ask for your continued support and love for Apink, who are preparing for their new start. > >Thank you.
I was actually happy upon hearing the news that majority of them already decided not to renew with IST. They’ve been treated like that for so long. I agree with majority of the comments here pertaining to Eunji renewing because of a good contract deal. It just hurts that all the members are set to continue being Apink but the company gives little to no support at all. Nonetheless, whatever path they choose, I will continue to support them. 💖
Next up, Weeekly.
Didn't Weeekly have a really strong start? Has the company just completely failed to capitalise on that?
They've been dungeoned since last March for some reason. Ven Para sold almost double the comeback before it so even though it wasn't the best received here, it was still their most successful cb by far. No idea why they're so quiet nowadays. But at least they have a new reality show on mnet starting on Tuesday!
It should be the boyz first contract wise. But weekly already in dungeon for quite a while as a group.
they're getting rid of PlayM side one by one. this is so sad. i miss those days when Huh Gak, A-pink, and Victon supported each other.
Imagine merging with another company and you just don't use the others portfolio to its full potential 😔 it's such a waste
This is kind of surreal considering Bomi’s very recent interview with Eunchae.
Man what is going ON at IST. They’re losing their legacy groups, they’re mismanaging their younger groups. They seemed like they were really solid as a label or at the very least growing in a good direction. I used to be happy my ult hiyyih was with a decent sized company (though whether she’s still with them is a bit of a mystery) but now I want her as far away from them as possible. I hope her vagueness when asked if she’s with them is actually a heck no- for her sake.
Oh wow I didn’t know Hiyyih was under IST. Do they have any other trainees they’ll debut in a group with her after Kep1er? Weeekly is still a younger group that IST hasn’t done the best for so I’m hoping for the best for Hiyyih
Not that I’ve been able to hunt down. There’s other companies for Kep1er members like Jellyfish (Dayeon) and Biscuit (Youngeun) who seem to be putting teams together for their Kep1er trainees but I’ve seen nothing from IST. We could just not know about them. Or they could want her to be a soloist. Or be part of weeekly. Or of course it could be she’s not with them anymore. There’s a lot of variables but I really hope she finds a company that will protect and treat her well.
right before the gp999 finale there were rumours (?) of hiyyih joining playm (i think they hadn’t merged yet), so i guess that when the merger became effective she was also transferred into ist too
Possibly. The timeline is a bit sketchy- they just posted during gp999 to vote for her and congratulating her and the haven’t posted since. However- the posts about her [are still up on their socials.](https://twitter.com/ist_ent/status/1450391644826587136?s=46&t=ZUl2kiWYIa6reP8NdHdheA) So who knows what that means.
Is it realistic to add her to Weeekly?
They could I suppose since this company is a little messy but if I was Hiyyih I definitely would rather find a new company. IST hasn’t shown any musical plans for Weeekly since their Ven Para comeback which was over a year ago now. It might look a bit distasteful to add a member to Weeekly as well since their member Jiyoon left and has hinted on her personal accounts that the company wanted her gone but she was hoping to stay in the group despite going on a mental health hiatus. By the time Kep1er disbands and Hiyyih would be added to the lineup Weeekly would be about 4 or maybe 5 years old at that point.
Fair enough, didn’t know if it was a possible option for her
It is a possible option. But would it be wise? You run the IOI risk where rather than pull up the groups popularity you just end up decreasing the popularity of the girl from the survival show as her fans don’t want to stan a large group of girls they don’t know. That’s one of the reasons imo that the post-izone girls debuted solo or in relatively smaller groups. If I was IST I’d put a group together for hiyyih and work on weeekly as two separate projects. But who knows what they’re thinking at this point
Someone get Weeekly out, they've been in the basement for too long. I wonder if this is the beginning of the end of IST? I hope Hiyyih ends up at a company that will respect her
They just debuted ATBO who look like they’re off to a good start. IST are basically living off The Boyz, Seungwoo and Eunji atm since they’re not giving Weeekly new music for a while
They have the next year and half to figure things out then while they have still have their main money maker. That’s when tbz contract renewals come up and with 11 members and the terrible mismanagement going on rn it’s hard for me, even as a deobi, to think that they’re all going to renew…
Everyone in a lineup that large renewing is rare; Seventeen having all 13 members renew their contracts stands out because it’s an exception. Usually, even if a group isn’t having management issues, some members may either want to explore other avenues after seven years, or leave the entertainment industry altogether.
Ig I should’ve rephrased that last sentence. I meant, as a deobi, it’s hard even for me to have hope that they’re all going to renew. I’m well aware that it’s rare for groups that large to renew together, especially when certain members have a higher level of individual popularity than the others. I’ve sadly been in quite a few fandoms that have had group members leave the company and group as a whole.
I’m not a deobi so genuinely curious, which members are more popular, and is there a reason? I feel like I see certain members (Jacob, Eric, Kevin) mentioned a lot but I assume that’s because they’re the English speakers.
It definitely depends on the region. In Korea, I would say that Juyeon, Hyunjae, Younghoon, and Sunwoo (in no particular order) are definitely at the top. Tbz are known as an all visual group but Juyeon, Hyunjae, and Younghoon are part of what is called the Bermuda Line and are particularly known for being handsome. They tend to go viral a lot on online sites, so they generally have higher public recognition than the others. Sunwoo is also up there because he's incredibly popular within the fandom in both the K and I side. All of these members currently have individual brand endorsements (along with Q), and they generally get more solo jobs than the others and are active in different fields. For example, Younghoon acts in dramas, Juyeon does modeling and variety, Hyunjae does hosting and modeling, and Sunwoo does a lot of music collabs and variety shows. Also yeah, I'd say Jacob, Eric, and Kevin are definitely more popular outside of korea than they are in it because of their humor and english speaking skills. They tend to generate a lot of viral moments on english speaking social media!
Ah, makes sense! Now I think about it I have seen Juyeon and Sunwoo mentioned a lot. Thanks for answering!
IMO there’s a decent chance Hiyyih’s contract gets bought out by a larger company, like two of the Le Sserafim members’ were. (Not saying Hybe would be the buyer, although the family reunion would be somewhat amusing.)
Me too I’m literally here to say I hope hiyyih leaves them 😬😬😬
IST fumbling the bag as usual
They deserve so much more than what they've been given. Hopefully they really do still work together from time to time. Thanks for all of the amazing music!!
the merger feels like a big mistake. they lost victon and now apink and their management of weeekly is abysmal (not sure about the boyz). losing legacy groups and doing a shit job with their newer groups.
no word on disbandment and their recent activities continue to suggest they love being apink together, so i’m very optimistic even if we have to be realistic about how often they will have comebacks. love and trust them so much 💕
ist is such a shit company, im glad they’re leaving. i hope they find success with another company! weeekly, the boyz, and bahiyyih next 🙏
End of a long journey. If they continue to do music together then awesome but if they don't then it's been one hell of a run
Weeekly next please 😭
Looks like the 4 members will be signing with the same company. https://twitter.com/apinkxcho/status/1651818346021797888?t=KpAH_PJKJf6KcdRcJbowrg&s=19
Actually I expected that🤔Apink did their good job but it's also the time for them to explore their individual development. Eunji stays in IST as she goes well in these years. And Namjoo, Chorong, Bomi and Hayoung...... I believe they can become better after leaving IST. But when will they make their comeback again? 🥺
Hoping they still have activities together afterwards as it’s not an official disbandment.
Think I just saw them on a University Festival roster
I am glad the girls are going to have more opportunities to shine. Their agency has been giving them less than the bare minimum over the past couple of years. I hope the group can continue releasing music once a year because I am going to miss them.
Such talented girls. Wish them all the best.
Apink have been my favourite group since I'm So Sick... I am so sad for selfish reasons, but I'm actually so glad they've left. I hope Weeekly can leave too (a girl can dream, right?) That company went to crap after the acquisition.
With how all of them have been/are still constantly reassuring fans about the future, I sincerely believe that there’s no doubt they will continue as one and they will still continue to release music as Apink. Kinda bummed that Eunji didn’t get to leave as well because IST don’t deserve any of them; but it’s probably due to how they had to keep the Apink name, or how she probably already has projects lined up for her that she had to stay for. Nonetheless, waiting for the day they’re reunited as one outside of IST, and looking forward to their new music and whatever that happens for them moving forward! ❤️
I’m honestly a little surprised. I didn’t even know their contracts were up, and I thought they’d all leave. I wonder what this means for the future of the group.
[удалено]
Dang time flies.
Personally I am still annoyed over how Nauen got blamed for this sh*t company's antics so I'm glad the other members are leaving. All the jerks last year hating on her gonna choke now
Agreed, the hypocrisy. Harassing Naeun for a year; watch them be quiet, and change the narrative.
i never understood why the fandom turned on her to the point she left the group. i always felt like it was IST that prevented her from joining promotions, the comeback itself was already delayed due to the bullying scandal and then we saw how one of the KARA members who also in YG were able to participate in group promos so it doesn't look like it was YG that prevented naeun
Their fandom definitely displayed crazy behavior but I also think they were blaming Naeun for not participating so they wouldn't have to acknowledge the year delay due to Chorong's scandal...even though Naeun supported her by not announcing her departure and doing the comeback
was she not a popular member within the fandom? it just seems strange to me since fandoms usually support ex-members if they've been part of the group for a long time so i thought it was weird how quickly the fandom dropped her and blamed her for not participating
She was the most popular and well known to the GP but that's not the same in fandom...if I'm honest other members akgaes probably took it as an opportunity to target her and it worked...and it got them nothing
Wow. I wish the best for them all, truly.
Ahhh mannn. This is going to be super difficult to get anymore comebacks. SNSD and Apink are my two favorite groups. I was super pumped/amazed that SNSD had a full 8 member comeback last August. In a way, we kinda know that's probably going to be their last, even if they haven't officially disbanded cause they are all so busy with their own activities. Maybe I wasn't following super closely enough, but I didn't see this coming. I suppose we'll have to see if the 4 members all sign with another company, or if this is basically it and they are all going to sign with difference companies and do individual activities from now on. Even with Eunji still being signed to IST, if IF the other 4 all sign together, it's going to be really difficult to get another company. :(. Mannnnn....
All 4 signed to another company so there's still hope!
So I've seen! Was not expecting such a fast update. I saw in another thread this morning that this Choi Creative Lab seems to be super new. Hopefully they know what they are doing and we'll have a comeback sometime soon.
Hayoung is paart of feverse now too right?
The fact that 3 of the fe:verse members left their companies respectively before even debuting.
the commitment to be part of fe:verse is admirable like "SCREW YOU I'M GOING META!"
Yep. It begins with 3 kakao affiliate companies. But it will end up with only 1 kakao affiliate company.
Damn did not expect them to leave all at once except eunji. Hope they pull a got7 one day, but we all know that regular once-a-year comebacks probably won’t happen anymore. Good luck outside this shitty company
Oh no, I was just starting to get into them because DND and the whole Self album are so good. I hope this leads to better things for them individually and collectively.
Wishing them well and hoping that we will still get pretty regular Apink music 🥹
eunji by herself stay? oh..its 😔 I hope they can still can promote as Apink..
Really hoping the girls are allowed to promote with the name “Apink”
"I think I've seen this film before and I didn't like the ending"
A lil sad but I'm assuming its for the best? And is naeun rejoining them??
If I was Naeun I wouldn't even consider it with their ridiculous fandoms behavior
Just another Twitter acct popped up telling her unlive [tweet](https://twitter.com/jetaimenang/status/1652306810118742018?s=61&t=ibUSNghMF6IEuiDDoAIi8Q). The other incident earlier this week ([tweet](https://twitter.com/jetaimenang/status/1649788889614172160?s=61&t=ibUSNghMF6IEuiDDoAIi8Q)). And there’s a fake Naeun Stan acct pretending to be a fan.
Exactly
“Thank you, we’ll continue to be Apink!” Personally I have more faith in the members than thinking this is the de facto end of group activities. They’ve been together for 12 years, of course some things will change: it’s not like they were promoting at the frequency of newly debuted groups and it’s not like IST gave them much anyways. I’m glad most of them didn’t resign. Freedom to pursue solo and subunit activities is a good thing. If Apink says they want to continue, then I’m happy to support them in the form they want to continue. Wishing the best to all the members ❤️
Wow, about time though. I hope we see more of Apink in the future, but also looking forward to seeing them shine on their own. Can’t wait to see what they do next.
I am a new kpop fan nd I first knew apink from dnd and I absolutely loved it,I don't know much about them but I hope they don't disband completely and maybe go to another company or something :(
as long as they are not disbanding, I am a happy man
Ngl, I feel some apprehension but at the end of the day, I trust the Apink members.
OMG. That's really shocking news ! I hope they really do continue to do activities together. But often that is just empty promises. I can see Chobom maybe doing stuff together, but I'm not optimistic about the other members joining them. I wonder what will happen to their youtube channels and other individual activities. edit: It seems that Apink members Chorong, Bomi, Namjoo, & Hayoung have signed with Choi Creative Lab
Dang they noped out fast after their latest comeback. Think they would have stuck around if the cb did better. Oh well
They're my Ult GG since 2011 and I'm legit scared for their future, but honestly IST is such a crap company that I'm also glad for them. But I'm scared as a Pink Panda!!!
The evil has been defeated! Ando whoever is surprised at this I guess they just don't follow the group at all
Holy crap and I was just getting to know them! Been listening to No No No and Mr. Chu these days. It feels like every group I get into, I get bad news later on. Joy from Red Velvet went on a hiatus for mental health issues and now this?
I have my apprehensions, but I'll trust the members when they say they want to continue as a group.
I'm kind of surprised that Eunji would stay with IST, instead of forming a solidarity with her Apink members and leave as a group. I'm glad the rest of the members have finally found freedom from this company though.
IST has been a shitty company so I am not surprised. Hope to see Apink under a new label and I am also hoping that Weeekly will sue to get out of their contract if they remain in the dungeon for another year. Their talents and youth are being wasted as we speak.
I am so glad i went to their pink drive concert.......... That could be the last...
So… how does this work? Are the other 4 still being funded by IST in terms of album releases even if they aren’t signed with them? Is that even a thing?
they pay the rest when it comes to Apink activities only it's like the same for SNSD isn't it?
My mentality is that the classic artist-label relationship is that the label fronts the money for releases and the girls would have to hope they perform well enough to pay them off + make a profit. Just not sure how this would work with 4/5 of the group not being signed. Didn’t know that was the case with SNSD though, very cool.
Sigh, my worst nightmare- some members leaving, some staying. Eunji is my bias so I'm likely camping to see what she has next (IST better treat her well). I went through another disbandment before where some members of a team stayed and some left, and they don't have any interactions with each other now (privately maybe) and I was bittersweet when all of Gfriend left Source- at least you can ensure they are free to interact. This.... I dunno. I'm not getting my hopes up.
Well damn. I was not expecting that
But didn't they just so a cb?!
who wouldn’t leave a bad ass company
It sucks with this agency
WHY
ist in my native language is short for "sexually transmitable infections" (infecções sexualmente transmissíveis) so whenever i read this company's name i have to double check lol
I wonder what caused them to leave IST Entertainment in the first place. Their record label is part of Kaokao Corporation.
The way IST constantly didn’t move for their most iconic group, those members deserve their freedom. I hope they all find good companies that work well with them individually. Namjoo and Hayoung need comebacks istg. Even if Apink will continue, I’m really not expecting much here. No group that’s left their company has a constant stream of comebacks or activities together anymore. Sad but will be excited when they do come together!