JYP Entertainment made an official “activities break” announcement aboutWonder Girls‘ member Sunmi withdrawing from activities.

Sunmi revealed that due to personal burdens, she will break from activities.

Replacing a member of one of Korea’s most popular idol groups can easily lead to fan recession and protest.

It was announced that Sunmi will be replaced by Hye-rim (Lim), who was originally recruited for Wonder Girls activities in China.

Here are some of the points JYP Entertainment went over in regards to the exiting of member Sunmi: (The following are the views of JYP Entertainment)

1. A damaged image due to frequent member changes

This isn’t the first time that the Wonder Girls have changed a member. For the debut song, “Irony,” Hyun-a (now a member of 4Minute) was withdrawn from the rapper position due to sudden health reasons. Then, JYP put Yoobin into the group. Now the Wonder Girls position is different, and Hyun-a’s position is also different.

During the “Tell Me” promotions, Sunmi was able to solidify her role as a “4-dimensional girl.” Then, after the popularity of “So Hot” and “Nobody,” the withdrawal of Sunmi causes some concern of damages to the Wonder Girl’s image.

This time, a new image for Hye-rim will be formed, and the Wonder Girls have come to embrace their new assignment.

2. New member Hye-rim and activities

Constituted as a 5-member system, for the Wonder Girls, replacement of members is inevitable. At the time of Hyun-a’s withdrawal, new member Yoobin was added. During “So Hot” promotions, it was said in interviews that “the Wonder Girls took a long time to adjust [to the change].”

After the news of the newest substitute, the public’s attention has focused on the former JYP trainee and new member, Hye-rim.

For Hye-rim, as an untested trainee, it was a big burden to decide to debut. Now, the situation is that Hye-rim has to join Wonder Girls’ activities starting this coming February. Known in the media as “a father’s daughter,” Hye-rim has worked with the other members, but the gap with the others cannot be ignored at this point in time.

3. One factor

The Wonder Girls’ “Tell Me” was a major hit song, but after replacing Sunmi, the Wonder Girls will come back with a fresh start. It is not expected to have the same return as before, due to the member replacement.

“Tell Me,” “So Hot,” and “Nobody” were certainly hit songs, receiving both praise and criticism. Nobody can deny that the Wonder Girls idol group was a market leader, setting musical trends.

Following the argument that, at some point, the Wonder Girls’ popularity will recede is self-evident. However, after replacing a member, that recession is more possible.

In Korean popular music, there are other instances of member replacement effecting the idols’ success. In Jewelry’s case, the group replaced several members, including Park Jung-ah and Seo In-young, leading to the current members of the group.

But, the Wonder Girls 5 members have their own personal attraction points and can secure many fans individually, so it is difficult to compare with individual Jewelry members.

4. Fan resistance

Fans have raised criticism against JYP Entertainment over the withdrawal of Sunmi.

They claimed, “Protesting JYP’s irresponsible attitude, Wonder Girls should remain as a 4-member group,” with the attitude that the Wonder Girls cannot be acknowlegded without Sunmi.

About this, JYP said, “Sunmi has also decided to respect the decision,” asking for fans to understand Sunmi’s decision to leave.

Fans of both Wonder Girls and 2PM joining in a collective boycott due to the long-term popularity of the Wonder Girls could be a fatal blow to JYP-backed groups.

On one side, JYP’s side said, “Sunmi herself and, of course, with her family came to this conclusion after a long period of consideration. Though there is speculation, there is no other reason for withdrawal.” Also, “I plan to actively support Sunmi for hopes of a comeback.”

JYP Entertainment has a lot to face with fans with the departure of Sunmi. It is uncertain what will be the Wonder Girls’ next move.