From Designers to Shamans: Updates on 5 Former Girl Group Members

Idol groups seem as if they would last forever. However, sometimes members leave or the group becomes disbanded. Some say disputes between the labels and the stars cause issues. Here's an update on several members who 'left' their group.

What are the ex-sweethearts up to?

1. Jessica of Girls' Generation

A former member of girl group Girls' Generation, also known as SNSD(Sonyeo Sidae), Jessica was the main vocalist in the group, along with Taeyeon. Many loved Jessica for her flawless singing voice and her ability to nail high notes.

Jessica hit the spotlight with her duet 'Naengmyun' performed with Park Myeong-su, a Korean comedian. The song was received with a warm welcome when it first aired on the 2009 'Olympic Expressway Duet Song Festival,' a segment of the MBC TV show 'Infinite Challenge.'

After leaving Girls' Generation on the September of 2014, Jessica transformed into a fashion brand designer/director. She even opened her own flagship store in Manhattan, New York. Jessica also continues her career as a recording artist and has released several singles. In August, Jessica released her new EP 'My Decade,' celebrating her 10th anniversary as a singer.

2. Sunye of Wonder Girls

Wonder Girls released mega hits such as 'Tell Me' and 'Nobody,' and Sunye was the leader. In January 2013, she married a Korean-Canadian missionary James Park, who was five years older than her. Later in the same year, Sunye gave birth to her first daughter in October.

Back then she tentatively put a stop to all her activities. Later, in 2015, she left the group. Sunye gave birth to her second daughter in 2016. The occasional updates on her Instagram account suggest that she's wholeheartedly focused on raising her babies. Nevertheless, she still remains close to Yeeun and other Wonder Girls members.

3. Sulli of f(x)

During her years as a member of the girl group f(x), Sulli was referred to as 'YoonSuzSul.' "YoonSuzSul' is short for Yoona of Girls Generation, Suzy of Miss A, and Sulli of f(x). The three are commonly categorized together as the three most beautiful Korean girl group members.

Sulli's exquisite looks guaranteed her a spot in the limelight. In 2015, out of the blue, Sulli left f(x) and started her career as an actress. In a recent film, 'Real,' Sulli successfully acted the role of 'Song Yoo-hwa.'

She frequently interacts with her fans via Instagram.

4. Areum of T-ara

In 2012, Areum joined the girl group T-ara as the baby member. She left the group after a year. Areum received threatening messages from Ryu Hyo-Young on her social media account. Hyo-Young is the twin sister of Ryu Hwa-Young, a former member of T-ara.

As Areum left the group, all sorts of rumors surrounded her. The first episode of the KBS 2TV program 'The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project,' aired on October 28th, showed the vicissitudes of Areum's life as a celebrity. On the program, Areum stated that "there were mainly two rumors surrounding [my] absence from T-ara." She denied both. The first rumor concerned disputes between T-ara members. She said that while there were conflicts, they were menial, as every happy family squabbles from time to time. The second rumor suggested that Areum was to become a shaman after she left the group. She explained that "the pictures [she] uploaded celebrating Halloween seem to have caused a stir."

Areum also remarked that right before she left the group, she was psychologically burdened to the point of "being sociophobic."

5. Hyuna of Wonder Girls

You're probably more accustomed to Hyuna as a member of 4Minute than the Wonder Girls. She made her debut in 2007 as the Wonder Girls but left the team shortly after five months due to health issues. She made her second debut in 2009 as a 4Minute member. 4Minute released 'Hot Issue' 'Mirror Mirror' and many other songs which were beloved by the public.

She was also in a co-ed unit dubbed 'Trouble Maker' with BEAST's former member Hyunseung. The duo's performance confirmed Hyuna as a sex symbol. 4Minute disbanded in 2017, but Hyuna continues to perform as a solo. The public still loves her, and she recently released her new song 'BAE BAE' in August.

We root for the ex-members who have left the nest and hope they are loved in whatever fields they choose.

By Gothesun and Suwon Han voomvooomk@gmail.com