18 Things to Know about Jessica’s Exit from SNSD
Friday, 28 November 2014 posted at 00:12
Recently, Jessica, a member of one of
Korea’s most popular pop groups, Girls’ Generation (aka, SNSD) tweeted her
shock at being told she could no longer be in the group. This article, from
early this month, tries to get at the heart of the issue. This story, however,
is ongoing and many details may continue to be revealed.
Jessica Exits Girls’ Generation: “Who is the victim?”
Article from Dispatch :
Even for
minor cases, its good to take measure of the gains and losses. You have to
verify who has been falsely accused, and who is the real victim.
This goes
for Jessica’s exit [from SNSD] as well.
Did she leave, or did they tell her to leave?
If she was asked to leave, isn’t Jessica the victim here?
Did the other members want to lose her?
Rather
than dealing with the nature of the event, we are making an account of the
gains and losses involved.
But
according to Dispatch’s results, her removal from the group was simply pushed
ahead early. If it wasn’t September 30th, it would’ve happened on November
30th, December 30th, or even January 30th of next year.
Which
goes to say, this isn’t a case of finding out who has been victimized. First we
must understand the main conflict, and then the depth of the conflict. Only
then can we understand the true nature of this event.
On the
30th, Dispatch met with three people who are very close with Girls’ Generation.
Q1: What we are most curious about is, did she leave, or was she
asked to leave.
Dispatch:
Both are true. Jessica was the first to say she would leave the group. This
year on January 7th, she said many times that she wanted to leave the group.
So did
the other members respond to this with, “then leave”? To be precise, the nuance
was similar to this. It’s more accurate to state that she was asked to choose
one of two options.
Q2: Let’s look at the timeline. On January 7th, what exactly did
Jessica say?
D: Last
January, Jessica brought up that she wanted to get married. She met with members
individually saying several times, “I want to get married. I’ve been talking to
the company about this.”
Also,
last July after finishing a concert in Japan, she again hinted at stopping her
activities with the group. At the time, Jessica said, “I can’t do this anymore.
It’s sad but I will get my life back.”
Q3: She will get her life back? Is this another way to say she will
marry Tyler Kwon?
D: It
appeared at the time that Jessica did not have the desire to continue with
Girls’ Generation. The other members already knew about [Jessica] wanting to
get married. Jessica talked more about the future than about marriage.
For
example, she said things such as, “Next year I will study abroad,” “I’m looking
into schools,” I want to start a fashion business,” and, “If I quit Girls’
Generation, I will become a designer.”
Q4: How did the other members respond to all of this?
D: At the
beginning of this year, she already went through the ordeal of leaving the
group. Jessica and SM agreed that she would continue to do her best for the
group until the final album, planned for early next year.”>
The other
members were in shock, but also thought it couldn’t be helped. Since she was
planning to get married and start a business, she expressed that it would be
best to focus on activities [with the group] only until their final album.
Q5: So did Jessica do her best to be active in Girls’ Generation??
D: To be
honest, it was a situation where she couldn’t focus completely on the group.
Jessica was too busy. Especially because of her work with Tyler, she was very
busy. It was for the August launch of her fashion line, BLANC.
She had
her own schedule, going between China, Hong Kong, and New York. In fact,
Jessica was in New York with Tyler right before the [group's] fan meeting in
China. She came back to Korea one day before the meeting.
Q6: Tyler Kwon has not been left of this situation.
D: It was
understood that she was engaged when a Tiffany & Co. engagement ring was
seen on Jessica’s finger. She kept telling the other members that the wedding
would take place next October in Hong Kong.
Tyler
Kwon almost always accompanied Jessica on her appointments. He was of course
there for her China and Hong Kong events, but was also there in New York when
she filmed the On Style show, “Jessica and Krystal.”
Q7: In the midst of this, Jessica launched her fashion line, BLANC.
D: The
other members weren’t opposed to Jessica starting a business. But they didn’t
know she would start it this soon. Most thought she wouldn’t start it until
after she got married.
Despite
this, Jessica quickly launched her fashion line in August. The other members
tried to make sure of one thing- that her business would not be her top
priority. It was to warn her not to be careless about Girls’ Generation.
Q8: Did SM approve of Jessica’s business ventures?
D: They
showed concern over the line’s offline store and the concept of its products.
It could be that Jessica was using Girls’ Generation’s popularity to get fans
to shop there.
However,
[SM] had no justification to keep her from starting the business. Specifically,
in the contract [that Jessica signed with SM,] there is no clause that forbids
starting an individual business. Jessica had permission to pursue her personal
dream.
Q9: Yet we know there was increasing conflict since BLANC’s launch.
D:
Jessica had already planned her life after the group. She planned to study
abroad, start a business, and get married. She would go to New York, study
there, get married, and expand her business.
To
accomplish this, she quickly developed a portfolio. This is why her fashion
line was launched so hastily. Tyler Kwon is also a part of the BLANC business.
As always, she couldn’t do it without him.
Q10. Given all this, it was Jessica who originally talked about
leaving the group.
D:
Possibly, there were hints about leaving… it could’ve been because of these
plans she had. But we knew that she was putting these dreams on hold, and that
she planned to stay until the final album.
But
Jessica put her personal work before [the group,] making it impossible not to
be careless about her work with Girls’ Generation. Due to this, the other
members demanded a decision be made. They said to stay focused until the end.
Q11. We’ve heard that Jessica’s attitude suddenly changed.
D: Last
month on the 15th, Dispatch received a tip. Jessica and Tyler went to a law
firm named “Sejong,” which was confirmed as fact.
I don’t
know why they were there. After going to Sejong, the change in the way [Jessica}
was talking was very clear. "If you are okay with it, even after I get
married I still want to do Girls' Generation," she said to the other
members.
Q12. Did she want to take on too much at once?
D:
Jessica didn't want to miss out on anything. She especially didn't want to
delay her business any longer. She had invested quite a lot of money and had
already began a portion of it.
From the
beginning the other 8 members said "OK" to her marriage and her
business. They respected her dreams. But they wanted her to pursue them after
finishing activity [with the group]. They thought this was the best way to
respect to her fans and the other group members.
Q13: We heard the group had an emergency meeting in September.
D: They
concluded that it was hard to do a long-term fan tour and a final album without
interruption in that situation. The meeting was held between Jessica and the
members in September. They asked for a decision.
Jessica
changed what she said after seeing a lawyer. She suddenly said she desired to
continue with Girls’ Generation. She asked, “if you have any complaint, please
sign your names and submit it.”
Q14. What was the outcome of the meeting?
D: There
were two or three meetings. Then she unexpectedly left for New York. So no more
talks could be had. In the end it was decided that doing things this way was
meaningless.
As for
Jessica, she returned the day before a fan meeting, thinking she had done her
duty to the group. But the other members felt that Girls’ Generation had become
her second job for a while now.
D15: Let us satisfy one little curiosity. What is Tyler’s role in
BLANC?
D:
Jessica launched BLANC on August 6th, with sunglasses as her first product. At
the moment, perfume, accessories, and clothing are also in development. Those
are set to be sold in theFall/Winter 2015 collection.
Tyler has
invested in BLANC. We know that the amount he invested is less than Jessica’s.
His most important role in the company involves distribution in China. He is
helping to get her collection into Chinese and Hong Kong department stores.
Q16: Where are the current BLANC locations in China?
D: Just
known as “Girls’ Generation Jessica,” she is gaining huge popularity in China.
Recently, she succeeded in getting into large editorial store, Lane Crawford,
in Hong Kong.
There are
also several other shops that will open. Most are in Hong Kong, but other
locations include major shopping cities Singapore, Thailand, and Shanghai.
Q17: So there also seems to be financial conflict with the other
members.
D: Nobody
cares about the money Jessica will earn through BLANC. That money is earned by
her talent. But they are guessing that the risk involved in Jessica’s marriage
will be substantial.
Because
of this, Jessica’s marriage was an open secret within the company. There would
be no more group advertising that would last longer than a year. Even with good
offers, they couldn’t proceed.
D: It
would be less than a 10% chance. The conditions for returning depend on Jessica’s
change of her priorities… But she has gone too far. She’s already too much
involved with Tyler.
Of
course, Jessica could request to do some acting or solo work for her brand.
However considering the time needed to do so, it would be difficult at the
moment.
Summary by: Idlan Haziq
Labels: Idlan Haziq
