Over the weekend, it was confirmed that A-JAX member and main vocalist Park Sungmin will be departing from the group to pursue a rapping career.
But because his contract has not yet expired, Sungmin will continue to be managed by agency DSP Media. There has been no announcement of a replacement member, and the rest of A-JAX will push through with their promotions in China.
The news follows rumors that Goo Hara may not be renewing her contract this year as a member of girl group KARA, another DSP Media group. Hara's rumored departure has sparked talks of KARA's possible disbandment.
"It's true that A-JAX's main vocal Sungmin is leaving. In order to walk the path of a rapper, after a deep discussion with the agency and his members, he has decided to leave the group," the agency DSP Media reportedly told SportsToday, according to Allkpop.
"He still has time left on his contract so he will not be moving agencies. DSP Media is thinking of continuing to help him. The remaining A-JAX members will focus on their activities in China. For now, there are no plans to release an album in Korea," the agency further told OSEN, in another interview.
A-JAX debuted in 2012 with seven members, but with Sungmin leaving and another member Jaehyung currently serving in the army, the group will be conducting their Chinese promotions with only five members.
A-JAX last released new music in 2013 with their second mini album Insane.
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Mickey is a writer and digital content creator based in Manila. He is a co-founder of ZAVI App and editor of the small business blog IndieMickey. He has also been bitten by the K-Pop fashion bug - follow him on Instagram @mickjami.
