Media outlets misreport Sunye's words, JYPE clarifies she's not leaving the entertainment industry

[frantastic.livejournal.com]

Sunye officially retires from entertainment industry and Wonder Girls

Sunye has officially confirmed her retirement from the entertainment industry and Wonder Girls, in a new interview with Joongang Ilbo‘s US branch at a non-profit church concert.

In a new interview that has surfaced, Sunye revealed in an exclusive statement, “Return to the entertainment industry? That won’t ever happen!” The article, titled “The emptiness of popularity, I wish to spend my life resolving myself through the gospel and in Jesus,” goes into detail of the artist dedicating her life to missionary work.


In the interview, Sunye reveals that while she has always been religious and has gone to church since she was young, she first discovered her passion and “met Jesus on a deep, personal level” while in New York for their American debut single, “Nobody”.

The artist revealed, “I believed in God ever since I was young when I went to Church with my grandmother, but I hadn’t truly met Jesus on a deep personal level. When I came to U.S.A I had time to myself for the first time since debut and I went to Church every morning for early morning prayer to fill the emptiness in me. This is when I realized that the words in the bible was alive. Even when I reached the top as a singer, I couldn’t fill the emptiness in me, but after I met Christ, my life changed. I realized the “Original Sin” is in living my life for myself and not for Jesus.”

Sunye was discovered in 2001 through SBS Park Jin Young’s young talent project, the challenge of 99%. She spent 6 years as a trainee and debuted in 2007 as a member of Wonder Girls. Wonder Girls reached the top with “Tell Me ” and “So Hot” and continued their activity in New York in 2009 releasing their American debut single “Nobody”.

In January 2013, while in New York, Sunye tied the knot with James Park, a Canadian born Korean who was a missionary and soon gave birth to a daughter in October that year.

Sunye and James met in Haiti where Sunye left for missionary work for the first time in her life. She revealed, “I went to find and feel God on a deeper level. When I was trying to find reason God sent me to Haiti, I saw my husband volunteering. He was praying for everyone there one by one and when it was my turn I got the feeling that this was a ‘preview of our future’. I didn’t know him personally at all but I felt as if he were my husband.” Sunye gave him a note with her e-mail and proposed first after meeting on a regular basis.

Sunye suprised fans in March stating that she will continue missionary work in Haiti for 5 years revealing, “In Haiti I saw tens of lives go out everyday for the most ridiculous reasons and felt that I had to spread the word of the bible as fast as I could. I think god gave me my talent to save lost souls.”

She continued to say, “I enjoyed my life as a singer but I wish to be loved with in Jesus as a daughter and share that love. I plan to seek what is eternal and spend my life spreading the word of god.”

The news comes as a shock to fans, as JYP Entertainment revealed in a statement that, “Sunye hasn’t left the group, and it is possible that Sunye will come back to Korea for a while during the next five years” when Sunye originally announced her plans of marriage.

In January, the artist also renewed her contract with JYP Entertainment, with a statement from the company confirming her trip to Korea. The agency revealed, “Sunye returned to Korea to see her family and also to deal with the contract renewal with us. Her visit is mainly for her personal matters.”

Source: Korea Daily via koreaboo + Korea Daily New York

JYP Entertainment Denies Reports that Wonder Girls’ Sunye Is Retiring from the Industry


JYP Entertainment has stepped forward to deny that Wonder Girls member Sunye will soon be retiring from the entertainment industry. This comes after a number of misreports that were released following Sunye’s statement that shared about her future plans in the long run.

On December 10, a representative of JYPE explained, “It seems that Sunye talked about her future—not immediate—plans during an event at a church in the United States. From the agency’s position, Sunye still remains a Wonder Girls member. It’s not at all true that Sunye is leaving the Wonder Girls or that the team will be disbanded. Nothing has changed.”

During a recent charity concert at a church located in New Jersey, Sunye expressed, “Although I reached the top as a singer, I couldn’t fill up the emptiness I felt. I want to share the love of Jesus and preach the gospel for the rest of my life.”

It appears that Sunye’s words were misunderstood, leading to growing speculations that she has an immediate desire to retire from her career as a singer, which her agency has refuted.

Meanwhile, Sunye got married to her missionary husband, James Park, in January of last year, and welcomed her very first child in October of the same year. The Wonder Girls member then renewed her contract with JYP Entertainment at the end of 2013.

Source: Starnews, Sports Donga via naver (1), (2); via soompi

Well. Ppl are not sure about the source of the interview the Korean media reported and I'd give Sunye the benefit of the doubt but she has said questionable things before...

Comments

[pikapika217.livejournal.com]

[msweetie913.livejournal.com]

Eh. Her involvement with WG in any capacity should always be taken with a grain of salt. WG may not be "disbanded" but it's not like they're ever going to have a true comeback and real promotions. If she wants to leave entertainment, then she should, but if she has some intention of coming back then idk. I guess it's nice that she has option with JYP. I'd be totally fine with some WG subunits or them promoting with yenny, lim, yubin (and maybe sunmi tho that's unlikely since she's technically a solo artist now??)

[ckino (from livejournal.com)]

Well she's in team Wonder God now.

She got nobody, nobody but god.

[jesymphony.livejournal.com]

oh my god I laughed too hard

[love-allure.livejournal.com]

lbr though... wonder girls aren't coming back, disbanded or not. finkl hasn't disbanded either and they're on indefinite hiatus.

[turdferguson.livejournal.com]

I realized the “Original Sin” is in living my life for myself and not for Jesus.”

WHY NOT BOTH

GODDAMMIT SUNYE

[sonicphotonic.livejournal.com]

JESUS WOULD WANT YOU TO LIVE FOR YOURSELF WHILE HELPING OTHERS WITH UR BEAUTIFUL MUSIC DAMNIT

[atopworld.livejournal.com]

“In Haiti I saw tens of lives go out everyday for the most ridiculous reasons and felt that I had to spread the word of the bible as fast as I could. I think god gave me my talent to save lost souls.”

This bugs so much of a fuck out of me,it's like a bug digging under my skin. YES. The word of God will fix Haiti's hunger and poverty faster than food and building shelter can. YES.

And this is not to be offensive to any theists on Omona, the quote just upsets me.

[smilez4you.livejournal.com]

I can understand why that would bug a lot of people. I would hope that along with expressing her faith that she and whatever organization she's affiliated with would ALSO work to improving the issues of poverty and such in Haiti (building, houses, schools, getting healthcare and medical attention for people etc) cuz it's incredibly important. Idk if they are or not cuz I haven't come across any info on that

[smilez4you.livejournal.com]

I think it's great that she's doing what she loves right now. I hope her faith in God and her love for her family & others continues to grow. Whether she comes back or not (I highly doubt she will tbh) I think JYP should at least do something for WG :/ I miss watching them (esp Yubin<333) all perform together.

Edit: Skimming through the article again and I read the bit about her renewing her contract. I forgot she did that. I don't think it was right for her to do so since it is HIGHLY likely she won't be coming back and she doesn't seem to have her heart on showbiz anymore, which is why I wish JYP would just move on and continue with the remaining girls...maybe even adding new members? idk

[yuzuruhanyu.livejournal.com]

take your racist christian white knight saviour nonsense out of the wonder girls and kpop, bye sunye

[khimia.livejournal.com]

iA with it

[lazmy.livejournal.com]

i still feel some type of way bout her so.....

[lysblack.livejournal.com]

i speak this as someone who has been a sunye fan since her debut, that always had a soft spot for her and wanted nothing but the best for her, especially when she lead a very hard and sad life... girl, stop.

i am religious, i believe in god, but when people get in this level of fanatical worshipper ways i just can't handle anymore, my eyes roll so hard it gets stuck in the back of my head.

she has to make up her mind, the group ended because of her, as hard it is for me to say it, and if she has moved on she shouldn't keep stringing others along as her backup plan, because the lifestyle may not be worth of her time and it may be sinful, but she surely is enjoying the money and attention it still brings her as she renewed her contract once again (which seems very hypocritical of her).

jype should stop with the loyalty and let her go, she has drunk the kool-aid and never coming back.

[prlsb4swiine.livejournal.com]

yep, took the words out of my mouth

[waves-of-light.livejournal.com]

I just assumed when she left she was gone for good

[donutism.livejournal.com]

Oh Sunye, I always had a soft spot for her...but all this religious ....stuff. nah girl, if you wanted out just end your contract and let the other girls do their thing.

[parkjsun.livejournal.com]

Sunye can go crawl in a hole and die for all I care. The fact that when she went to Haiti and saw its people dying of poverty and disease the first thing that crossed her mind was "oh all these people are gonna go to hell because they're not Christian, this is the perfect time to convert and 'save' them". Fuck you.

[alleybetwixt.livejournal.com]

Damn. Don't hold back, bb.

[xxmannequin.livejournal.com]

Nope, not there for this fanatic worshiping. Girl, bye.

[blueglassbeads.livejournal.com]

i honestly just rolled my eyes so hard they slid down my throat, through my digestive system and out my ass. bye sunye, don't trip when the door hits you on the way out, don't fall off your white horse ect ect.

jyp, let it tf go, and give me my yubin/fei/jia subunit or smth

[waves-of-light.livejournal.com]

Wait, they're coming out with a new girl group?!? I just sighed and "for fucks sake" out loud

[rawbabyoctopus.livejournal.com]

[springsky.livejournal.com]

Ew, she says so many awful things in this article. Why did you even bother renewing?! Bye, girl.

[torontok.livejournal.com]

Sunye suprised fans in March stating that she will continue missionary work in Haiti for 5 years revealing, “In Haiti I saw tens of lives go out everyday for the most ridiculous reasons and felt that I had to spread the word of the bible as fast as I could. I think god gave me my talent to save lost souls.”
Go fuck yourself.This literally sums up missionary arrogance in one neat sentence. She doesn't give a shit about Haitians, she just wants extra holy points for converting their heathen souls.

JYP should just drop her ass, she's just dangling them along at this point

[parkjsun.livejournal.com]

It's not religion hate, it's fanatic hate. Haiti is already 80% Roman Catholic and 16% Protestant (96% Christian!). Her going there to spread the gospel is just a guise to convert those Catholics to "true Christians" and "save them from damnation".

She's said some fucked up shit too like, "As I saw the people of Haiti dying out without knowing a single Gospel from the Bible, I became embarrassed of myself for having focused only on my personal success. So I decided to live my life spreading the Gospel to people who do not know of it."

And in this very interview, "In Haiti I saw tens of lives go out everyday for the most ridiculous reasons and felt that I had to spread the word of the bible as fast as I could."

She's never actually talked about all the charity work being done, just about her ~passion for spreading the Gospel~. She doesn't care about people dying, she cares about them not being the right type Christian before they die.

[turtles-tszx.livejournal.com]

Damn gurl... She should have not renew her contract.. I love her and wonder girls and she deserves the best after all that hardship she went through but i just cant with her going for missionary and leave the rest of the member in hiatus.

I would probably hate her if she someone i know irl bcos religious people who like to preach people bcos they feel obliged to do so is the reason why i became an agnostic.

[akaich0u.livejournal.com]

I'm not Christian nor do I believe in the Christian god. But when my family and I first came to the US as refugees from Vietnam, it was the Christians who gave us furniture, food, money, other resources. Did they slip in a bible in there? Yes. Did they force us to read it/go to church? No.

This world is cruel and true, no-strings-attached altruism is rare and even then only for a finite amount of time. People need to be paid in some way, either with wages or sense of fulfillment of a goal. For missionaries, it's the latter. It's not a good attitude and I don't condone it, but I'd rather people who need the resources get it with a side of obnoxious holiness than...not having what they need. Ideally people should just want to help w/o the goal of conversion, but that's ideal.

Sunye has had a REALLY hard life. Similarly, I've had cancer patients for whom god truly helps them accept what they're going through. I don't fully understand it. But I don't know if I can tell Sunye to go eff herself unless she's burning down villages for not converting. With time and a life that is finally stable and full of family, it's my hope she'll come to understand how people's lives can be full without god and that there are things much more troublesome than a life without.

[extraenchanted.livejournal.com]

well said. i mean, written.

[uguukawaii.livejournal.com]

shes so boring now the four wonder girls left are the superior four anyway

[miyozari.livejournal.com]

Oh damn, Sunye, why?
I will always have a soft spot for het but now I'm losing my patience, too. I'm religious, too and support the fact (or I hope) she's doing some charity work but since it's primarly missionary work, ugh. This kind of medieval missionary work needs to stop.

The fact she renewed her contract is leaving the remaining members in a sticky situation (or gives JYPE an excuse not to promote the other members), I believe this also contributed to Sohee leaving JYPE. I don't like the fact she's trying to keep a backup option.

Well, idek I'm just sad. I'll miss my ex favorite leader and her great voice. I guess I'll never get my 2ye subunit.

But telling her to crawl in a hole and die....stay classy, omona.

[parkjsun.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry but I refuse to "stay classy" towards an individual whose only words of compassion towards the Haitian people have been that she's sad they didn't read the Gospel before they died. This is by far one of the most fucked up things an idol has said yet she's being excused and her words are being ignored because religion is involved.

[gray-fairy.livejournal.com]

The Haiti comments are so damn unfortunate.