SEOUL – All four members of the K-pop sensation Blackpink are leaving YG Entertainment to pursue their solo careers.

“We recently extended our exclusive contract with Blackpink for its group projects. We agreed not to proceed with an additional contract for each member’s individual activities,” said YG Entertainment in a press statement on Dec 29.

YG announced on Dec 6 that the four-member group had renewed an exclusive contract with the agency for group activities.

Since their debut in 2016 with singles Whistle and Boombayah, Blackpink have flourished as a world-renowned K-pop girl group, enchanting the public and topping major American and British music charts.

The group’s other releases have all been hits, including Playing With Fire, Kill This Love, Lovesick Girls, Pink Venom and Shut Down.

Blackpink rewrote K-pop history for female groups in 2022 when their second studio album, Born Pink, topped the Billboard 200 and the British Official Albums Chart Top 100, the first K-pop girl group to do so.

Earlier in 2023, the group ended their second world tour Born Pink on a high note, attracting 1.8 million fans worldwide.

Jennie of Blackpink was the first member of the group to announce her new beginning under a new agency that she has established for her solo career.

“This year was filled with many accomplishments, and I’m so thankful for all the love I’ve received. I’m also excited about what’s to come, as I start my solo journey in 2024 with a company that I have established called OA. Please show lots of love for my new start with OA and, of course, Blackpink,” Jennie wrote in a post on her Instagram account on Dec 24.  THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK