� SBS PopAsia 】 AOA band member Youkyung to officially leave group

[Ash-Pikachu]

 

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After 5 years with AOA, Youkyung will be officially leaving the group but will perform as a guest member in future AOA Black promotions.

 

In some sad news for AOA fans, long-time member and drummer Youkyung will be leaving the group following the conclusion of her contract.

 

According to a statement from the group's agency FNC Entertainment, Youkyung's contract has expired and she is no longer with the company. While she is no longer contracted to FNC, Youkyung will still be involved with the company by participating in any future AOA Black promotions.

 

Here is FNC's statement on Youkyung's departure:

 

"Hello this is FNC Ent.

 

We are sorry to greet fans with such unfortunate news. We would like to announce that the contract between FNC and Yookyung, the drummer of AOA, has been terminated.

We have had deep discussions on this matter and we have made this decision to respect her wishes.

 

Although the contract with her is over, she will be making appearances as a featured member when AOA band projects happen to show off her talent as a drummer. We would like to thank all of Yookyung’s fans and hope that you all wish AOA and Yookyung the best in their future activities.

 

Thank you"

 

For newer AOA fans, Youkyung debuted with AOA back in 2012 as the group's drummer. However, the group's gradual shift from a band to more girl-group dance songs saw her participation with the group dwindle, and Youkyung was last seen with AOA Black back in 2013 during their "Moya" promotions.

 

Despite the split, it appears that there are no bad feelings between all parties, and AOA leader Jimin recently posted up a photo on Instagram of all eight group members with the caption "AOA". Notably, the "O" was replaced with a heart, signifying Youkyung's place in the group.

 

https://instagram.com/p/BLk6BWphSL0/

 

It's sad to see Youkyung leave AOA, and we wish her well in whatever she does in the future. Let's remind ourselves of happier AOA times, such as when the girls left a message for their Australian fans:

 

 

And more recently, when our own Andy Trieu had a chat to the group when he was in Korea:

 

[StrawberryKoong]

who? There was an AOA black??

[Tee]

who? There was an AOA black??