Debuted back in February 2007, Wonder Girls was the first girl group introduced by JYP Entertainment. At first, the group consisted of 5 members Sunye, Yeeun, Sunmi, Sohee, and HyunA. However, HyunA, who was the main rapper of the girl group, ended up leaving due to health issues, leading to Yubin joining Wonder Girls.
Yubin joined Wonder Girls just 3 days before the group’s return with the hit “Tell Me”. In 2008, they continued to establish their standing with a series of hits, including “So Hot” and later “Nobody” – a song that even now, remains iconic both in and outside of Korea.
As “Nobody” started to gain attention from the US market, JYP decided to release the english version of the song back in 2009. As a result, Wonder Girl became the first Asian artist to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart, at 76th place.
This was soon followed by a series of promotions in the US, including a tour with Jonas Brother in 2009, and schedules for Wonder Girl’s own concert. However, these plans were prematurely halted, as Sunmi ceased her activities starting from October 2010, in order to focus on her studies. Previously, she had to quit high school to join Wonder Girls in their American promotions.
Due to Sunmi’s abrupt departure, Hyerim – who as a JYP trainee at the time, joined the group. With their new lineup, Wonder Girls embarked on their American tour “The Wonder World Tour” starting April 2020, alongside 2PM – a boy group from the same company.
In 2012, another member, Sunye, announced her marriage, halting the activities of Wonder Girls yet again. In October 2013, the female idol gave birth to her first child, and eventually withdrew from the entertainment industry altogether.
Then, Sohee also parted from Wonder Girls to pursue an acting career. In 2015, Sunmi came back to the group, and Yeeun became the new leader, kick-starting Wonder Girls’ comeback with “I Feel You” and “Why So Lonely”. This lineup would go on for the next 2 years, before the group officially disbanded in 2017, after 10 years in the industry.
As of 2022, Wonder Girls have separated for 5 whole years. At the moment, many members are still active as solo artists and actresses, while some are focused on their family. Below is a summary of the career and life of all pieces of Wonder Girls after they left the group.
1. Yeeun
After Wonder Girls’ disbandment in 2017, Yeeun signed an exclusive contract with Amoeba Culture. She also wrote the song “Only You” for JYP girl group TWICE, signaling that she’s still in a good relationship with her former agency.
Now, Yeeun is promoting under her new stage name HA:TFELT, and has released 1 studio album and 3 single albums.
2. Sunye
In 2018, Sunye returned to the entertainment industry after a long hiatus where she focused on her family. The female idol signed with Polaris Entertainment and became a member of the reality show “Mama The Idol”, which revolved around 6 former idols who have left the Kpop scene and became parents. The 6 members then formed a group called M.M.D and released the song “Wooah HIP”
In February 2022, Sunye left Polaris Entertainment and joined Blockberry Creative. She has since released her solo mini album [Genuine], and promoted 2 songs “Glass Heart” and “Just a Dancer”.
3. Yubin
After the disbandment of “Wonder Girls”, Yubin debuted as a solo artist in 2018 under JYP Entertainment and released the single “Lady”. At the end of the same year, she released her first ep with 3 self-composed tracks.
In 2020, Yubin founded her own agency called rrr Entertainment, and recruited the former Wonder Girls member Hyerim. Recently, she became the host of SBS’s reality show “Straight For Love”, which is scheduled to air within August.
4. Sunmi
Even before Wonder Girls’ disbandment, Sunmi was already leading a successful solo career, with 2 songs released under JYP Entertainment, “24 hours” and “Full Moon”. After leaving JYP, Sumni became even more popular with the releases of megahits like “Gashina”, “Heroine”, “Siren”, and many more.
Sunmi recently made a comeback via her new single “Heart Burn”. The female idol also announced that she will be going on her America and Europe tour “Good Girl Gone Mad”, to start within this August.
5. Sohee
After leaving Wonder Girls, Sohee is mostly known for her acting projects. She first gained recognition via the short film “The Synesthesia For Overtone Construction” back when she was 12 years old.
In 2016, Sohee appeared in the hit movie “Train To Busan”, showing her impressive acting skills. She then assumed roles in various movies and dramas, including the 2022 drama “Thirty Nine”, which starred famous actress Son Ye Jin.
6. Hyerim
Hyerim was still an artist under JYP Entertainment in 2020, before moving to Yubin’s agency rrr Entertainment. After leaving Wonder Girls, Hyerim pursued academics and enrolled in the Department of English for International Conferences and Communication at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
In 2020, Hyerim published her first book – an essay based on her love, relationships, and life perspectives. In June of the same year, she married her boyfriend of 7 years – the taekwondo athlete Shin Min Chul, living happily and welcoming their first son in February this year.
Even now, Hyerim remains close with Wonder Girls members. Before giving birth, she filmed an episode of KBS’s program “Godfather” alongside former member Sunye.
7. HyunA
HyunA is among the most successful pieces of Wonder Girls, despite being in the group for an extremely short period of time. The female idol left Wonder Girls in 2007, joined CUBE Entertainment the next year, and re-debuted in the girl group 4MINUTE in 2009.
In 2010, HyunA made her solo debut with “Change”, and released her hit song “Bubble Pop” in 2011. At the end of the same year, she formed the duo “Trouble Maker” with former BEAST member Hyunseung, which then went on to become one of the most iconic acts in the history of Kpop.
In 2017, 4MINUTE disbanded with all members except for HyunA leaving CUBE Entertainment. She then resumed her solo promotions, as well as joined another mixed group called Triple H, alongside Pentagon members Hui and E’Dawn (now known as DAWN).
In 2018, HyunA and DAWN revealed that they have been in a relationship since 2016. Immediately after, CUBE terminated their contract with the couple, who made the announcement without receiving CUBE’s approval.
In 2019, HyunA and DAWN signed with PSY’s agency P Nation, where they get to freely show their relationship and creative liberties. The couple have since released numerous music tracks and even collaborated with each other.
HyunA then made her comeback with “Nabillera”, joining Sunmi and Sunye in the 2022 Kpop scene. Seeing this, many fans are wishing for a Wonder Girls reunion, especially as a girl group from the same generation, SNSD, is making their comeback.
On November 30, 2022, HyunA posted on her personal Instagram, announcing the end of her relationship with her younger boyfriend, Dawn. She wrote, “We have broken up. We’ve decided to remain good friends and colleagues. Thank you for always supporting and caring for us.” Notably, in February 2022, the couple had shared photos of matching rings and got engaged after six years together.
At the beginning of 2024, HyunA announced she was dating Yong Junhyung (HIGHLIGHT). On July 8, the Korean entertainment industry was abuzz with news that HyunA and Junhyung were getting married. According to an exclusive report from YTN, the couple has set their wedding date for October 11, with the ceremony to be held in Seoul, South Korea. Close acquaintances of HyunA and Junhyung revealed that the couple decided to marry because they both trust each other deeply.
“They have been friends for a long time and understand the challenges of life in the entertainment industry. HyunA and Junhyung share strong trust and empathy. After entering into a romantic relationship, the couple started considering marriage. Both are confident in their love for each other,” a close source to the couple shared.
Wonder Girls Discuss Reunion, but Reality Prevents It
Recently, Sunye and Yubin from Wonder Girls made a surprise appearance as guests on Daesung’s Zip Daesung channel, a member of Big Bang.
During the conversation, the duo candidly discussed the possibility of a reunion. Sunye mentioned that the members often talk about it, while Yubin added, “But there are always conflicts with our schedules, and since we belong to different companies, things don’t progress well.
We have discussed various possibilities, including releasing an album and organizing a concert. We are still keeping our options open, but the current circumstances don’t allow it. That’s why negotiations ultimately fell through,” Yubin revealed.
Despite this, fans still express their hope that the Wonder Girls will soon release a joint music project or perform together on stage, showcasing their famous hits after a long time.
This hope was heightened by the recent news of 2NE1’s public meeting with CEO Yang Hyun Suk, which sparked expectations for a potential reunion.
According to YG, meaningful and important discussions took place during a two-hour official meeting, with the company expressing hopes to “bring good news to fans soon.”
The public is hoping that Wonder Girls and JYP will also realize this, just like YG and 2NE1 are doing.
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