A new company, with TWICE still part of the plan
TWICE leader Jihyo announced on October 21, 2026, that she had ended her 21 years with JYP Entertainment and established her own agency, EMITHAUS. In a handwritten letter posted on Instagram at noon, she said the change would give her space to explore new possibilities while continuing her activities with TWICE.
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EMITHAUS will begin with Jihyo's solo activities, with plans to discover and sign other artists and expand across music and other content. The announcement brings together two commitments: building a business around her own artistic choices and remaining part of the group with which she debuted in 2015.
Jihyo, who joined JYP in 2005 as a child, described the departure as a decision about the years ahead. She thanked the company staff who had helped her grow and the fans who had supported her throughout her career with TWICE.
Explaining her decision in the letter, the singer and newly established agency founder wrote:
To me, independence is not so much a conclusion about the time that has passed, but a choice about how I want to live going forward.
The move places responsibility for her next solo chapter within a company she established herself. For fans, her central message was equally direct: leaving JYP does not mean leaving TWICE. Her letter addressed both the practical change in her working life and the personal relationships she wants to carry into it.
From a childhood trainee to an agency founder
Jihyo's connection with JYP began in 2005, approximately 10 years before TWICE's debut. Her 21 years at the company therefore cover two substantial periods: preparation as a trainee and the career that followed her arrival on stage as a group member.
A trainee spends time preparing for a possible performing career before debuting publicly. Jihyo's roughly decade of preparation helps explain why she described JYP as the setting for much of her life, rather than simply a workplace she had recently joined.
The main dates trace the scale of that relationship:
- 2005: Jihyo joined JYP Entertainment and began the period that would include approximately 10 years as a trainee.
- 2015: She debuted with TWICE and went on to serve as the group's leader.
- 2023: She released her first solo album, ZONE.
- October 21, 2026: She announced her departure from JYP and the establishment of EMITHAUS in a handwritten letter published at noon.
The announcement also included a video showing Jihyo during her childhood trainee years. Wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, she appeared on camera long before the career milestones described in her letter.
Jihyo acknowledged both good and difficult days at JYP, saying those experiences had helped make her the person she is today. She expressed gratitude to the people who had supported her growth and said she would cherish their shared time and memories.
Why she chose the name EMITHAUS
EMITHAUS takes its name from the English word "emit," meaning to express, release or give something out. Jihyo connected that meaning to her hope of bringing forward parts of her artistic potential that she has yet to discover.
In her letter, Jihyo explained what she wanted the company to make possible:
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.
The company's stated direction is to develop artists' individuality and creative possibilities through music and various forms of content. Its first work will center on Jihyo, giving the new business an initial focus before its planned expansion to other performers.
Her explanation puts creative exploration at the center of the move. She also acknowledged the responsibility that comes with working outside a familiar environment, saying she would approach future choices and activities with greater care.
TWICE activities will continue
Jihyo devoted a substantial part of her letter to reassuring fans about TWICE. She said her decision to leave JYP was not a farewell to the team and described the group as an irreplaceable part of her life.
Addressing her future alongside the other members, the TWICE leader wrote:
I will continue to stand on stage with my members and keep building more memories together for many years to come.
Her plans therefore include both solo music and group activities. An agency handles the business side of an artist's work, while a group is the team in which that artist performs. Jihyo is changing her company arrangements while saying she intends to keep performing with TWICE.
Jihyo is the third TWICE member to leave JYP, following Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung. Her announcement adds another change to the members' agency affiliations, alongside an explicit commitment from her to continue with the group.
For listeners, the immediate message is that future work is intended to follow both routes: Jihyo as a solo artist through EMITHAUS and Jihyo on stage with TWICE. The letter placed those ambitions alongside each other rather than presenting a choice between them.
A solo career that began before independence
Jihyo released ZONE, her first solo album, in 2023. The establishment of EMITHAUS comes three years after that release, building on a solo career that began while she was still at JYP.
Her next phase will start with her own activities before the company broadens its roster. In music, a roster means the artists represented by an agency. Discovering and signing additional performers would give EMITHAUS work beyond managing its founder.
The stated expansion covers music and content more broadly, although no date for a new solo release, artist signing or recruitment launch was announced. The practical starting point is Jihyo's work, with the wider business described as a future plan.
That sequence gives the announcement a defined starting point without a detailed release calendar. Jihyo has established the company and outlined its direction; specific projects and the timing of its expansion are still to come.
A message to the fans who stayed with her
Jihyo thanked ONCE, TWICE's fandom, for 11 years of trust and support. That period reaches back to the group's 2015 debut, while her relationship with JYP began a decade earlier.
The two figures in her letter describe different parts of the same journey: 21 years at the company where she trained and developed, and 11 years with the fans who followed her public career with TWICE.
Speaking directly to those fans, Jihyo wrote:
Thank you for giving me the courage to keep moving forward through your unwavering trust, love, and support.
She also acknowledged the commitment involved in continuing to support someone through different stages of life. Her promise was to keep making choices and putting in effort that felt true to her, while growing into an artist worthy of that support.
The letter closed the announcement on the same terms that shaped it throughout: appreciation for the people connected to her past, responsibility for the decisions ahead and a wish to continue making music both independently and with TWICE.
Jihyo's letter in full
The full reported text of her handwritten letter reads:
Hello, this is Jihyo.
I'm writing today because there's something I'd like to share with you.
After 21 years, my journey with JYP Entertainment, which began when I was just a child, has come to an end.
Trying to put 21 years into just a few words is harder than I thought it would be.
From childhood through my teenage years and into adulthood, I've spent most of my life at JYP.
There were good days and difficult ones, but one thing I know for certain is that every one of those moments has shaped who I am today.
I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone at JYP who has been by my side and helped me grow over the years.
I will always cherish the time we shared and the memories we made together.
To me, independence is not so much a conclusion about the time that has passed, but a choice about how I want to live going forward.
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.
As I step away from a familiar environment and begin working in new ways, I will approach every decision and every endeavor with even greater thoughtfulness and responsibility.
I also want to make it clear that this decision does not mean saying goodbye to the team I've been part of for so long.
TWICE is an irreplaceable part of my life.
Just as I cherish all the years we've shared, I look forward to all the moments still ahead of us.
I will continue to stand on stage with my members and keep building more memories together for many years to come.
Above all, I want to thank ONCE for believing in me and standing by my side for the past 11 years.
I know that watching someone grow and change through so many stages of life and continuing to support them along the way is never something to be taken for granted.
Thank you for giving me the courage to keep moving forward through your unwavering trust, love, and support.
I will continue to fill the years ahead with choices and efforts that stay true to who I am and keep growing as an artist who lives up to all the love and support you've given me.
Thank you.
Key Points
- Jihyo announced her departure from JYP Entertainment on October 21, 2026, after 21 years at the company.
- She established EMITHAUS, which will begin with her solo activities.
- The agency plans to discover and sign other artists and expand across music and content.
- Jihyo said she will continue performing with TWICE.
- She joined JYP in 2005, debuted with TWICE in 2015 and released her first solo album, ZONE, in 2023.
- No dates were announced for new releases or the agency's planned recruitment of other artists.
