Education is just an excuse for girl group members to leave?

[cagallisakura.livejournal.com]

Article talks about how a lot of girl group members are leaving their groups to go back to school but the school ends up either as an excuse or a lie for other activities. Mentions Yookyung's controversy, Jihae leaving Girl's Day for school but currently promoting as an actress, Soyoung leaving After School for school and her health but also switching paths to an actress, Chanmi, three members leaving EXID, which sparked rumors of team discord, Sunmi, and finally Riko from Rania.

1. [+400, -3] Sunmi supposedly left the group for her education but I haven't seen her once for the past few years when I pass by her department building at Dongguk University every single day. Nobody else in my major has ever seen her either. She left for school but she's never at school so what exactly is she doing?
2. [+347, -5] What's the point about leaving for your education and then coming back as an actress?
3. [+308, -2] I wonder how genuine they are when they go from singing and dancing all day to suddenly wanting to focus on your education
4. [+230, -8] Instead of lying about leaving the group for their education, they should just admit it from the start that they want to go into acting. It's because they use excuses like education that no one believes that there are all these rumors about bullying and discord. And do they seriously think they can act if they couldn't even stay in a group that expects the bare minimum from them in terms of performance?
5. [+221, -20] Soshi is really at the top when it comes to things like this. Other groups go through so many member changes but the nine of them have stuck through it for over 5 years.
6. [+155, -4] Yeah, I never really believe them when they say they're leaving for education. They spent all those years suffering as a trainee and they're going to give all that up now? As if. It's all a ploy to upkeep image by the company.
7. [+97, -6] I doubt any of them really left to pursue their education... After Sunmi left, it became a trend to use your education as an excuse to leave the group ㅋㅋㅋ
8. [+59, -3] Had no idea Chanmi left the group. Who sings for them now then?
9. [+51, -22] It's unfortunate if they're being kicked out but you can't really help it when you don't have the talents to back yourself up either
netizenbuzz, Source: Mydaily via Naver + Nate

what do you think, omona? any truth behind this? does this ever happen to boy groups?
whenever an snsd member drops by school for class, there are tons of pictures of them there. so maybe there's at least some truth in this :(

Comments

[lysblack.livejournal.com]

it is quite obvious why sunmi left and everyone knows it, she wasn't kicked out.

soyoung never really wanted to be an idol, she only become one like many others, to get into acting easier, but to her it didn't work as she wished and didn't like it, so she left the group.

idk much about the other groups to talk about them.

[dalpaengi.livejournal.com]

actually I have no idea why sunmi left. please explain?

[pikapika217.livejournal.com]

oh goodness, so that sex tape rumor or something I heard was true? DX

[rachelrainna.livejournal.com]

i think jihae left cause she was kinda useless, no one really liked her. company probably wanted to replace her.

[iznanassi.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's fair for them to lie about why they left, because it doesn't make them or the group look good. But it happens so often that people just join groups to boost their own career, it's horrible and a waste of time.

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's fair for fans hungry for gossip to demand "the truth" about why people under tons of pressure and stress end up leaving groups! There's probably a lot of reasons and it's not really anyone else's business. Although it would be nice if young performers weren't pressured to keep quiet for the sake of the image of some big entertainment company... but if they said anything negative, the label would just deny it and it'd become a "he said, she said" situation anyway.

[e-bone (from livejournal.com)]

The title of the piece threw me a bit. I was about to go off on the gaul of these people criticizing a woman trying to better herself through pursuit of education. But yeah, no girls. Just go ahead and say you want to do something else. Don't be ashamed to ask for what you want in life.

[sayufied.livejournal.com]

5. [+221, -20] Soshi is really at the top when it comes to things like this. Other groups go through so many member changes but the nine of them have stuck through it for over 5 years.

Better then all your ratchet faves :)

[illustratedd.livejournal.com]

hahaahaha agreed

[in-noctem.livejournal.com]

Isn't riko actually attending school though

[supernoriko.livejournal.com]

i thought so

[toshi830.livejournal.com]

I wonder how genuine they are when they go from singing and dancing all day to suddenly wanting to focus on your education

Some people get disillusioned with the idol life though

[asnindie.livejournal.com]

Can't blame them. The idol industry is pretty dishonest, you only see the good part, the bonding, the fandom etc. But they hide the horrible working conditions, the sleep deprivation etc. Ofcourse young kids are gonna be influenced by the good side only to have reality hit them hard. If anything debuted groups have a pretty low drop out rate. Idk this article just seems dumb and unnecessary.

[asnindie.livejournal.com]

Well it's easier to say I'm leaving to "study" rather than saying I don't want to be in a flop group anymore, having sleepless nights and going hungry while not making it. And so acting here I come.

[purekpopology.livejournal.com]

+1

Besides, education is something Koreans understand and respect. The truth (as you said it) would cause scandal and hate, because they're "betraying" their group.

[miuratenshi.livejournal.com]

Hannah from GP Basic left to continue her education too.

And I don't think it's an excuse all of the time. I think that the member of the group believes/realizes that the group she's in won't get off the ground/last long and that she has a better shot going back to life in school or being taken seriously as an actress.

[nozo-rin.livejournal.com]

But Gp Basic are like super young. So it makes sense if they really need to just focus on school.

[spread.livejournal.com]

Trimming the fat, tbh...

[akaich0u.livejournal.com]

Isn't Dongguk a really big school? A department is smaller but even still, not everyone's gonna see everyone else, bro...I mean, it's not out of the realm of possibility since Sunmi was pretty unhappy in the US, but she had always done well in school even prior to being a WG so if she says she wants to go to school, I believe her.

As an uber nerd, I don't have a hard time believing someone can give up a lot to go (back) to school. There's probably also mad parental pressure to finish school. But everyone has his/her own reasons (whether school is the impetus for leaving or just a backup), and others should respect them.

[fallingstarryuu.livejournal.com]

there was a post like ages ago that brought up that Sunmi is on leave from school lol.

[cairistiona.livejournal.com]

I thought Riko never officially left RaNia, she just did a Jooyi and had ~other things going on~? I just googled it and I can't see anything about her leaving, for education or otherwise.

[ssowon.livejournal.com]

Jooyi had some project but nothing was ever... released, I guess is the word I'm looking for, and she came back. Riko's in school and I think AKP mentioned it in the articles about their comeback.

[des-akazim.livejournal.com]

it's sort of like people quitting ANY job to 'pursue further education'. nah you really don't want to/plan to, but sometimes the grim reality of whatever path you chose being...not so right. it usually hits right around mid twenties, and running from what you're not 100% committed is never wrong. let them do what they want, it's their life. on the flip side it makes room for people who WILL be more committed.

[hisjulliet.livejournal.com]

I do think it's an easy excuse to say "they left because of an education", but I do think it's the truth for some of the idols who leave, whether it's the cause of their leaving or otherwise. most idols don't want to skip school imo but they have to because of their work

[45s.livejournal.com]

appropriate gifset

[belintuchiha.livejournal.com]

gotta love missy elliot

[mikansama.livejournal.com]

I feel like education and health reasons are often excuses for something else, but I guess we'll never really know the real reasons. Didn't TK also leave BTOB (albeit predebut) for ~health reasons~ then debut with C-Clown a few months later?

[scarletapples.livejournal.com]

Yes, you're right about TK. During his training with BTOB he was probably too stressed out along with going to school, so he had sudden deafness right before debut. It happened to Lee Hi too :/

[leesooyeons.livejournal.com]

apparently, i've heard yookyung's reason for leaving APink was not because of school, but she was forced by the company to do so...? idk

[cairistiona.livejournal.com]

Yeah, her dad's been shouting that all over his SNS accounts.

[yasmine2009.livejournal.com]

I just find it annoying when idol "attend" university and then take a leave 5 seconds later. Leave that stop for someone that needs it and will use it. I feel like I use to see a million and one articles about idols going on university leave.

[ullielvidina.livejournal.com]

One thing that still bugs me until now is how they ca finish their assignments with their schedules and practices.

[shonen-key.livejournal.com]

Paying people to do their assignment tbh

[the-erotomanic.livejournal.com]

meh. as long as they can leave on their own accord and without any repercussions, i'm fine with them leaving and using education as an excuse.

[mjspice.livejournal.com]

Not even surprised tbh. :/

[chibiyunie.livejournal.com]

Ah, whatever floats their boat. Of course they want to protect their name and say they will continue their education instead of losing face for whatever reason they actually leave.

I always found it a little strange how Hyuna left WG because of her health, only to join 4Minute after that. Though I do feel like she has a weak health ~