Wonder Girls talk with fans about Mimi's departure

Korean pop group Wonder Girls [Asia Economic Daily]

Four members of Wonder Girls -- Sohee, Yubin, Sun and Yenny -- met with their Korean fans on Monday to talk about various issues surrounding their future activities including member Mimi's departure from the group.

In a phone conversation with Asia Economic Daily yesterday, an official at the girls' agency JYP Entertainment (JYPE) explained that the aforementioned members met with five representatives from the group's fan clubs for a two-hour meeting held at JYPE's office in Seoul.

The fan club representatives then today revealed the contents of their conversation with the pop singers, saying that Mimi -- unlike the other members -- had been longing to live a normal life since early in her career.

The four members said they had been aware of how Mimi felt, especially after the band moved to the United States last year -- hence her decision to leave the group did not come as a shock to them.

Sohee, Yubin, Sun and Yenny tried in the beginning to convince Mimi to stay for a little longer but after much consideration and discussion among all the members, they accepted her decision and informed JYPE executives of the news.

When asked whether Mimi's departure or the group's U.S. debut had been forced by the agency, the members answered that it is a dream for any singer to debut in the U.S. and although they were worried the timing might be too early, they went forth with the relocation because the "really wanted to do it."

The members -- who asked fans to respect Mimi in her decision -- also offered an explanation regarding the group's recent performance in China where newcomer Hae Lim joined them on stage.

They commented that while they would have preferred not to do the performance because it would be an opportunity for people to judge Hae Lim, they could not cancel the gig out of respect for their Chinese sponsors.

Mimi, 17, made headlines last month when she announced that she will be taking a break from the entertainment business and concentrate on her studies. She is set to fulfill her responsibility as a member of the group until the end of February and return to Korea in March to prepare for her college entrance qualification exam.

Her place in the band will be filled by Hae Lim, who had been training under JYPE for several years and speaks four languages including English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

Source: Asiae