According to exclusive coverage by Star News on the 21st, Joy is preparing to move to a new agency, having recently held meetings with management companies ahead of her contract renewal with SM.
SM did not officially announce the re-signing of Red Velvet until last year. Since the members joined SM at different times, and Yeri joined midway through their activities, their contract end dates differ. However, Red Velvet, which debuted in August 2014, is presumed to have unofficially renewed their contracts after the maximum exclusive contract period of seven years established by the Fair Trade Commission expired in 2021.
Meanwhile, Seulgi renewed her contract with SM last August, and Irene did so in February of this year. This has raised questions about the future of Wendy, Joy, and Yeri, as well as the continued activities of the full group.
In June, Joy publicly criticized SM, raising concerns about her potential re-signing. At that time, after a request from fans for a reaction to a new music video on a communication platform, she expressed her dissatisfaction, saying, “Well, they told us to just wait without considering our opinions, and then I saw the music video with no changes made. I feel like I shouldn’t say more, so I’ll just keep quiet.”
Additionally, Joy expressed frustration about the lack of promotional activities before Red Velvet’s new album release, saying, “I’m also curious about how long this will be a secret, whether they just forgot to inform us, or if they plan to announce it next week.”
Red Velvet is currently meeting fans worldwide through their Asia fan concert tour.
