Entertainment following the expiration of their exclusive contracts. Polaris acknowledged the trio’s leave in a brief statement.
Hello. This is Polaris Entertainment.
We inform you that Polaris Entertainment’s exclusive contract with group Ladies’ Code has ended as of February 17.
Before we announce the unfortunate news, we would like to express our sadness for having to say goodbye to the members who carried out their activities passionately until the end. Moreover, we express our gratitude that can’t be expressed in words to the Ladies’ Code members who went through joys and sorrows as artists under our agency for seven years.
We send our unsparing support for Ladies’ Code’s future activities, and we will look forward to and wait for the members to promote again as Ladies’ Code.
Following the news, Ashley, Zuni, and Sojung posted messages to their fans.
In a heart-wrenching Instagram post that featured images of the Ladies’ Code members including the late EunBi and RiSe, Ashley wrote:
To my beloved Lavely.
Hello, this is Ladies’ Code’s Ashley. It’s very cold these days. Have you been dressing warmly? Seven years have already passed since we and Lavely met.
Many happy and sad things happened during those years. When we were happy, we were even happier because we had Lavely, and because Lavely were next to us when we were going through hard times, we didn’t give up and were able to keep going.
To be honest, I feel sad and apologetic about not having spent more time with Lavely, but we will halt our activities as Ladies’ Code for a while and show ourselves doing our best in our own respective positions. While I feel afraid because it’s my first time starting out alone, I will make a good impression as Choi Bit Na and Ashley instead of an idol, so please cheer me on a lot.
More than anything, I was so thankful and happy to have been able to promote with RiSe, EunB, Sojung, and Zuny as the group Ladies’ Code.
Thank you for the precious memories, our members and Lavely. Thank you for giving me so much undeserved love despite my many shortcomings. I will be thankful if you could cheer for the new paths taken by each of the three members Lee So Jung, Kim Joo Mi, and Ashley.
Also, thank you to the Polaris Entertainment family for being with us all this time! I will never forget the love we received until now. Be healthy and happy. I love you.
From Ladies’ Code’s Ashley.
On her Instagram, Sojung said,
Hello. This is Ladies’ Code’s Sojung.
So much time has passed already… I feel like time is heartless for passing by so quickly, and I also feel sad and upset for not having been able to return the great amount of love you’ve sent me despite my shortcomings…
Meeting my beloved members [Ashley] unni, RiSe unni, EunB unni, and Zuny was the biggest gift of my life. I’m sincerely thankful to our Polaris family who sent me this gift and stayed with us during this long time.
Though we will each be taking on new challenges in our own places, we will be waiting for the day we can reunite as Ladies’ Code.
Many things have happened, but I was able to hang on because of our fans who always cheered us on, cared for us, and loved us. Thank you so much.
I was so happy during every moment we spent together. I won’t forget.
Though I feel sad, I’m going to do my best to show my other sides as ‘Lee So Jung’! Please support my new beginning!
Thank you to all the fans overseas who have supported and watched me from afar (written in English).
I will become a good artist who brings good music as well as a good person. I love you a lot and thank you so much. From Sojung.
Finally, Zuny wrote:
Hello. This is Ladies’ Code’s chic cool guy Zuny.
It’s my first time writing a letter like this so I’m not sure what I should say to start it off.
It’s already been seven years with Ladies’ Code and Lavely. Now that I think about it, time really feels fast.
We’ve gone through many things together, crying and laughing, and it’s time for us to stay apart for a while, so I’m handwriting a letter to express my heart to the members and Lavely. It breaks my heart to think about the Lavely who will be sad to hear this news, but we are not parting—we are only staying apart temporarily to go our own ways. So please don’t be too sad, and I would like it if you could support the paths we take!!
I was the maknae who didn’t express herself much and had many shortcomings, but I’d like to express my gratitude to the members and Lavely who gave me many great memories, love, and happiness that can’t be expressed in words. My current self exists because there were the members and Lavely, and I will always work hard in life, engraving those thankful people in my heart who always believed in me and waited for me by my side. The people who were by my side even during hard times…
I will always work hard with a thankful heart. Thank you for helping me realize many things during the seven years, for providing nice relationships, for always taking care of me, waiting for me, and giving me strength by my side, and for giving me bountiful love.
Now, I will work even harder to give a good impression as Kim Joo Mi, not Zuny. Our house owner grandma~ Soju Sojung~ Lavely, I love you, and I really care about you a lot. Thank you for being someone precious to me. Thank you for everything so far.
From Zuny.
All three girls acknowledge that Ladies’ Code will be on hiatus while each of them pursue new solo activities. Going forward, Zuny will be going by her real name, Kim Joo-Mi, while Sojung will go proceed as Lee So-Jung, and Ashley will use both Ashley and her Korean name, Choi Bit-Na.
When Ladies’ Code debuted in 2013, they were one of the up-and-coming girl groups to watch. Sadly, in 2014, a car accident took the lives of EunB and RiSe and since, promotions were seldom as the group reformed as a trio and Polaris failed to promote them properly. Ladies’ Code last release, “Set Me Free,” on October 10, 2019.
We wish Ashley, So-Jung, and Joo-Mi the best in their futures!
Photo cr. AsianStar
—-Olivia Murray