Twice’s Jeongyeon Signs With Varo Entertainment And Reaffirms Her Commitment To The Group

Jeongyeon Leaves JYP but Makes One Promise Clear: TWICE Still Comes First

TWICE’s Jeongyeon has officially left JYP Entertainment and signed with VARO Entertainment, but she has personally reassured fans that the move does not mean she is leaving the group.

The singer announced the decision through a handwritten letter shared on Instagram on Aug. 10. Reflecting on the company she joined as a teenager, Jeongyeon thanked JYP’s staff, her fellow members and TWICE’s fandom, ONCE, for supporting her growth.

“From my teenage years until now, I spent a long time together with JYP,” she wrote. “I am leaving and preparing to make another beginning in a new place.”

Jeongyeon acknowledged that walking away from a familiar environment felt frightening. She said that the confidence of her members and fans gave her the courage to take the next step.

Jeongyeon Starts Acting Chapter With VARO and Promises to Protect TWICE / News1

TWICE Remains Her First Priority

The most important part of Jeongyeon’s letter was her direct explanation of what the agency change means for TWICE.

“Although I am moving to a new home and beginning a new challenge, I will continue protecting TWICE, the greatest center of my life, just as I always have,” she wrote. “Standing before ONCE as a member of TWICE will always come first.”

Jeongyeon did not describe her future solely as an individual career. Instead, she distinguished between the identity fans have known for more than a decade and the new work she plans to pursue under her full name, Yoo Jeongyeon.

“I will sincerely prepare each step, both as TWICE’s Jeongyeon, whom you have loved, and through the new challenges you will see from Yoo Jeongyeon,” she added.

Her statement makes clear that she intends to remain a member. However, the agencies have not yet publicly disclosed all contractual details explaining how JYP and VARO will coordinate future group schedules. It is therefore more accurate to describe the announcement as a change in her personal management, not as a departure from TWICE.

Joining the Same Agency as Gong Seung-yeon

VARO Entertainment confirmed its exclusive contract with Jeongyeon on the same day.

The company said it was pleased to begin working with an artist possessing “diverse charms and unlimited potential.” It also emphasized that it had been impressed by her sincere attitude toward acting.

VARO promised to support both her new challenge as an actress and the continuation of her group activities. The agency’s statement reinforces Jeongyeon’s assurance that her expanding individual career is intended to coexist with TWICE.

The move also brings Jeongyeon under the same management as her older sister, actress Gong Seung-yeon. VARO specializes heavily in actors and represents performers including Byun Woo-seok, Lee Yoo-mi, Jin Goo and Lee Chae-min.

Reports that Jeongyeon had met with VARO first emerged in June. At the time, both agencies confirmed that discussions had taken place but stressed that no contract had been finalized. Her Aug. 10 announcement now confirms the outcome of those negotiations.

Jeongyeon Starts Acting Chapter With VARO and Promises to Protect TWICE / News1

Why Jeongyeon Is Expanding Into Acting

The change reflects a broader expansion of Jeongyeon’s career rather than a rejection of music.

Since debuting with TWICE in 2015, she has primarily worked as a singer and performer while also building experience through entertainment programs and hosting. She is now preparing to formally broaden her activities into acting.

Jeongyeon recently completed filming for New Recruit: The Movie, a spin-off connected to the Korean military-comedy series New Recruit. The project will mark her first film acting role and offers an early indication of why an actor-focused agency became a natural option for her next chapter.

Using her full name, Yoo Jeongyeon, may also help distinguish her acting work from the stage identity she has established within TWICE. It does not mean that one identity will replace the other. Her letter specifically presents both paths as parts of the same future.

A Different Contract Does Not Automatically Mean a Different Group

TWICE’s situation reflects an increasingly visible model in K-pop: members can pursue solo careers through different management companies while preserving a shared group identity.

The arrangement requires cooperation between agencies, especially when recording, promotions and tours must be coordinated with individual acting or solo schedules. It can nevertheless give long-established performers greater freedom to choose specialized representation without automatically ending the group.

All nine TWICE members previously renewed their contracts with JYP in 2022. As the group entered another renewal period in 2026, JYP said it was holding careful discussions while respecting the members’ individual decisions.

Jeongyeon’s choice is the clearest indication yet of how her next chapter will operate. VARO will support her acting ambitions, while she has made her own position on TWICE unmistakable.

For ONCE, the central message is not that Jeongyeon is walking away. It is that after growing up inside one company, she is creating space for Yoo Jeongyeon to try something new without giving up the group that remains at the center of her career.