Red Velvet’s Wendy, Yeri leave SM Entertainment

(From left) Red Velvet members Joy, Seulgi, Irene, Wendy, and Yeri. Image: SM Entertainment via The Korea Herald

Wendy and Yeri of South Korean girl group Red Velvet have decided not to renew their contracts with their label SM Entertainment.

The management firm announced Friday, April  4, that their contracts have concluded, but they will stay with the group and the firm will continue to support group activities.

READ: Taeyeon, Red Velvet’s Wendy frustrated over SM’s ‘lack of support’

Yeri released a message the previous day hinting at the news and promising that she would stay true to her fans.

“Tomorrow morning, a piece of news concerning me and my agency will be released… I just wanted to tell you guys first rather than have you see it in an article and be surprised, so I came to you first! So, what I mean to say is, my love for you will not change!” she wrote in part of her message on a paid subscription messaging service.

The three other band members are staying with the label. Joy signed a contract in January, following Seulgi and Irene in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

The quintet debuted in August 2014. Its most recent full-group effort is the EP “Cosmic” in June last year, which was released to mark the 10th anniversary of the girl group’s debut. The mini album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 145, becoming its first entry on the main albums chart. It also topped iTunes top albums charts in 50 regions.

READ: Red Velvet’s Irene debuts solo with 1st EP ‘Like A Flower’