Ji-young from KARA Looks More Vibrant in Return to Japan After 9 Years Despite Dark History

The five-member K-pop girl group KARA held their first concert in Japan in nine years at LaLa arena TOKYO-BAY in Funabashi, Chiba, on August 17 and 18. Celebrating their 15th anniversary this year, KARA performed a total of 25 songs, including their new track “I Do I Do,” released on July 24, and the hit song “Mister.”

Member Ji-young (30) greeted the audience by saying, “It’s hot, isn’t it? I can really feel your amazing reaction, so let’s make it the best day.” She also performed the theme song “Suki na Hito ga Iru Koto,” from the July 2016 Fuji TV Monday 9 p.m. drama, released under her solo artist name JY.

“Ji-young left KARA in April 2014 after completing her exclusive contract with the agency, but she made a comeback and became a topic of conversation when the group resumed activities in 2022. During this tour, she seemed quite happy standing on the same stage with the members with whom she shared both hardships and joys. When she was active in Japan, her smile gradually disappeared due to her intense schedule, but she seemed like a different person from those days” (music industry insider).

After leaving KARA in 2014, Ji-young stayed in the UK. However, the powerful female president of the Japanese major talent agency “Sweet Power” flew to the UK to scout her. From August 2014, she joined the agency, changed her name to “Ji-young,” and began her entertainment activities in Japan.

Already having some fame in Japan, she soon appeared as one of the two lead heroines in the October 2014 NTV drama “Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube.” She was also appointed as a regular model for the fashion magazine “non-no” (Shueisha), marking a smooth start.

“The ace of Sweet Power at the time was Maki Horikita (35), who retired from the entertainment industry at the end of February 2017. The agency vigorously promoted Mirei Kiritani (34) as her successor. This agency had strong booking capabilities for visual works and commercials, and Ji-young’s work opportunities kept coming in. After Kiritani married Shohei Miura (36) in July 2018 and scaled back her work, Ji-young effectively became the agency’s ace” (TV station insider).

Ji-young continued to star in notable projects, such as the 2017 Fuji TV drama “Orphan Black: Seven Genes,” where she played seven roles, and the 2019 film adaptation of the popular manga “Tokyo Ghoul [S].” At the same time, she also managed her solo singing activities as JY.

However, in 2019, after signing a new contract with a Korean talent agency and resuming her activities in Korea, she terminated her contract with Sweet Power in March 2021, citing the inability to visit Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She decided to focus on her activities in Korea.

After Ji-young left Sweet Power, the agency continued to experience a series of contract-related troubles. This included lawsuits involving Kenshi Okada (later renamed Koji Mizukami, 25), as well as departures of actors such as Mahiro Takasugi (28), Meisa Kuroki (36), and Rina Uchiyama (42), who was a significant contributor to the agency.

“Basically, all their work was decided by the former powerful president. It was fine when the agency was thriving, but issues such as allegations of sexual misconduct against female talent reported by ‘Weekly Bunshun’ and power harassment against employees might have influenced this situation. It is said that even employees who were close to the president left the company. Ji-young, too, was forced to change her name and was treated as if her achievements with KARA were erased. Despite landing major jobs, it seems that there was a lack of freedom for the talent. I believe that this is one of the reasons for the succession of departures” (entertainment reporter).

At the long-awaited concert in Japan, Ji-young appeared vibrant. One hopes that the approximately six and a half years she spent with the Japanese agency did not become a “dark history” for her.