Juri Leaves Rocket Punch for THIS Reason — What's Next for the Group?

After five years of working at Rocket Punch, Woollim Entertainment expresses regret as they announce Juri's withdrawal from the group.

On May 24, Woollim Entertainment, the agency of the fourth-gen girl group Rocket Punch, brought the sad news about Juri's departure from the group.

On this day, the label released an official statement citing different contract terms with the Japanese member compared to her other remaining co-members.

Woollim stated:

"Hello, This is Woollim Entertainment. We would like to express our gratitude to fans who always send endless love and support to our artists.

Rocket Punch member JURI, who has been with us for the past time, is a foreign member and has a different contract period with the members.

As of today (24th), she has terminated her management contract with us. However, we will continue to support each other's future wherever we are.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to JURI, who has been with us for a long time, and also to the fans who have always shown their unwavering love."

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In particular, the standard contract period in South Korea for K-pop idols is 7 years, but in Juri's case, she only has a 5-year contract with them.

Unfortunately, the female idol didn't renew, hinting at her desire to start anew with her career in other fields. It is not yet known if she will continue independently or sign with a new label. Fans are also curious if she will actually stay in Korea for work or return to Japan.

On the flip side, After Juri's departure, Rocket Punch expressed their intention to continue as a five-member group comprised of Yeonhee, Suyun, Yunkyoung, Sohee and Dahyun.

Meanwhile, Juri Takahashi originally rose to fame as a Japanese idol who debuted and worked as a member of one of the biggest girl groups in Japan, AKB48. She joined the 12th generation in 2011 and served as captain of Team 4 (until 2017) and Team B (until 2019).

Her career in South Korea opened when she joined Mnet's girl group survival audition show, "Produce 48" in 2018. With her good idol skills and irresistible charms, she impressively ranked No. 16 at the finale, although she failed to join the debut lineup of IZ*ONE.

After being scouted by Woollim Entertainment after the show, Juri graduated from AKB48 in 2019 and in August of the same year, she made in debut in Korea as Rocket Punch.

But after five years, her contract with Woollim expired and she had to leave the team.

READ MORE: Where are the Top 20 Finalists of ‘Produce 48’ Now? Find Out Here!

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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz