With the recent announcement of 4Minute's comeback, I thought A Cube Entertainment would be trickling out some hints about A-Pink's comeback as well. After all, the girls have recently celebrated their 2nd anniversary since debut (April 19th) and have only made three comebacks total. Then I hear the devastating news that maknae Yookyung will be leaving the group. I mean, she's one of my favorite members! Yookyung may not be the most popular member but she has very steady live skills and is probably the only quiet, classy one in the group (a Pink Panda joke). Similar to Jiae from Girl's Day, she will be leaving with the decision to attend college and pursue her studies instead. Of course, there are many idols that accomplish both, but I'm guessing her prestigious upbringing (her dad is the CEO of multi-million dollar company) needs a better education than what idol life can allow her. Before Pink Pandas can even process this loss, A Cube is already announcing the addition of a replacement member to complete the 7-member girl group. Come on, Cube. Even food needs to be digested slower than that. They basically dropped a bomb on us and told us to come back to work in an hour. The only thing worse is if they tell us who the new member is now, but at least that part is still being decided. What they did say is that the new member will be introduced with the new album. What they should do is just leave the poor replacement member out of the picture because she'll just receive a lot of hate no matter how talented she is. Since coming out with a new album may take months to train for, I'm thinking A-Pink won't be coming back for at least another two months.
The official A Cube Entertainment statements are as follows: "We first want to apologize to all the fans for having to deliver news of this nature. Yookyung, who debuted on April 19th of 2011 and received a lot of love while shedding tears and smiling with many fans over the past 2 years, will no longer be with us as an A Pink member. Yookyung has always tried her best since her debut and has been a hard working member. After debating for a long time between continuing as a celebrity and focusing on her studies, as well as the other six members' futures, Yookyung and her agency have made this very hard decision. As Yookyung will be entering university this year, she will no longer be A Pink's Yookyung, but a student like others her age. Please support her and her future."
A Cube also added, "They won't be promoting as six, but we are planning on adding a new member. We are looking for someone, but nothing has been decided yet... The new member will probably be revealed with the new album."
UPDATE (130503):
I seriously thought this was a mutual thing, but her departure just isn't being wrapped up quietly. Yookyung's father, big conglomerate CEO that he is, speaks out on behalf of his daughter that her dismissal is a one-way decision that she heard about just recently.While A Cube insists that the agreement was mutual, her dad requests that A Cube issues an apology to fans, and for Pink Pandas to help Yookyung resume her post. A Cube is still sticking to their statement, but the situation looks very suspicious here. It's not the part where Yookyung's dad speaks out and says it's untrue so much as he's asking fans to help her come back to the group. This means that indeed, Yookyung did not voluntarily wish to depart (because really, A-Pink is at a rising stage in their careeer, why should anyone leave?) and the pressure originated from her own agency. This is the first time I've heard of scandal from the Cube family (A Cube is a subsidiary of Cube Entertainment), and I'm really disappointed. I really thought they were one of the better agencies, but now I feel betrayed. In fact, her father claimed that there was also media play about her only joining the group because she wanted to get into college. Furthermore, since the release of her wealthy family background a year ago, some even believe that she bought her way into the group.
In response to her father's tweets, A Cube issues the following statement, "The company’s position is the same as last time when we revealed our official statement… There is nothing else to say. It’s the truth that [Yookyung] left after settling on an agreement, and we have no intention to bring her back in."
Yookyung may not be the most popular member or the prettiest, but that's not the point. She's part of the A-Pink image and helped create it. Bringing another girl in during this controversy would just hurt public reception of the group. This is a really bad situation for both sides, because the damage is already done; if Yookyung does come back, that would only cause unnecessary tension between her, the company and the other A-Pink members. If A Cube comes out and apologizes, then their image is forever tarnished for covering something up, while not coming out will create even more controversy, as Yookyung's father is threatening to reveal the actual negotiation. If neither side agrees, this issue might go to court, and then what will become of A-Pink in the end? *Thinks of T-ara and shudders*
Read the original article here:
http://www.allkpop.com/2013/05/a-cube-entertainment-and-yookyungs-father-give-conflicting-reports-on-yookyungs-departure-from-a-pink
Update (130507):
http://www.allkpop.com/2013/05/former-a-pink-member-yookyungs-father-fires-back-at-a-cube-entertainment
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