After six years together, the six members of popular Korean girl group GFriend are splitting up after failing to agree on contract renewal terms with their management agency, Source Music.

Their contract ends on Saturday (May 22) and the sudden news caught their fans, known as Buddy, by surprise.

On Wednesday (May 19), Sowon, Yerin, Eunha, Yuju, SinB and Umji, who are all in their early 20s, posted individual handwritten notes on social media to bid farewell.

Sowon wrote: "Officially, my time with GFriend has ended, but we are not done, so please don't take it too hard, Buddy."

Another member, SinB, said: "I'll never forget all of the activities we had and the love from my fans. I will cherish all of the memories with a thankful heart and slowly repay you with my individual activities in the future."

All of them expressed gratitude to their fans and apologised for the sudden split, even as they embark on solo careers.

Since their debut in 2015, GFriend had won a number of best newcomer awards, released four best-selling albums and toured the region with their concerts, including one in Singapore in July 2019.

On their social media accounts and fan pages, their supporters were reeling in disbelief that their idols were disbanding, with countless comments pleading with them to come back.