JIHYO, leader of powerhouse girl group TWICE, has announced that she is leaving JYP Entertainment after 21 years in favour of establishing her own agency.

The news was shared by JIHYO on her personal Instagram account in the form of a handwritten letter. “After 21 years, my journey with JYP Entertainment, which began when I was just a child, has come to an end,” the letter reads. “I will always cherish the time we shared and the memories we made together.”

She goes on to reveal that going forwards, her activities will be managed by EMITHAUS – her own company. “As the first step in this new chapter, I have established my own company, EMITHAUS. Just as “EMIT” means to “express or release,” I hope this will be a place where I can freely explore and bring to life even the possibilities within me that I have yet to discover.”

JIHYO first joined JYP Entertainment as a trainee in 2005, when she was eight years old. She trained for over ten years before debuting with TWICE in 2015, leading the group as they became one of the biggest girl groups both within and outside of K-pop. Almost eleven years on, TWICE are still breaking records; their <THIS IS FOR> World Tour has recently been declared the best-selling tour by a female Asian artist in the United States on top of various previous records set in Oceania and Japan.

During this new chapter, JIHYO will remain a member of TWICE. Though the group remains under JYP Entertainment, she assured fans that she will continue to perform with the other members and promote as a part of that collective alongside her individual pursuits. Following such a successful tour, their 10th anniversary, and a series of popular releases, TWICE have a promising future ahead of them despite movement between companies.

Ahead of the expiry of their current contracts next year, three members of TWICE have now left the company. JEONGYEON announced her departure in August and is now managed under VARO Entertainment with the intention of pursuing acting. CHAEYOUNG’s announcement came several days later, revealing her intent to launch independent music projects as an extension of her “LIL FANTASY” mini album. Now, JIHYO has followed suit. All three will remain members of TWICE, but there may be a change in the format and frequency of TWICE projects.

For JIHYO, establishing a personal company has not come as a surprise to many. As the leader of TWICE she has already spent years building a strong, self-reliant image, and is seen as a pillar of the girl group scene. She debuted as a soloist in 2023 with the mini album ZONE, which landed at number one of the Circle Album Chart, and has taken part in multiple collaborations, including a feature for the 2026 FIFA World Cup soundtrack.

JIHYO has opened up new social media accounts for EMITHAUS, where further information regarding her activities and plans for the company will be shared.