Girl band T-ara pose for a photo during a press conference ahead of “Jewerly Box” concert at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, Friday. Hwayoung, leftmost, left the group as of Monday. / Courtesy of Core Contents Media

By Rachel Lee

Hwayoung left K-pop T-ara as of Monday, the group’s agency Core Contents Media has announced.

According to a statement released Monday, the contract with the 19-year-old member has been nullified, without any strings attached.

The news comes amid alleged conflict between Hwayoung and the rest of the group. The seven others have reportedly bullied the 19-year-old and recently left cryptic tweets that the public interpreted as infighting.

However, Kim Kwang-soo, CEO of the agency, denied the widespread rumors and said that the company has made the decision for better teamwork.

“Hwayoung is a talented young rapper with enormous potential. I hope she will continue to pursue a career as a musician.” he added.

The trouble began when the group held the concert “T-ara Jewelry Box” in Japan on July 25 and 26. Hwayoung, who injured her leg before the shows, was not able to perform except for the recent track “Day by Day.” Other band members started to post tweets that stirred up talk of infighting. Hyomin tweeted, “Everyone has a different level of determination and will to do something.”

T-ara debuted in 2009 and have gained popularity worldwide. They also made a successful Japanese debut last September with a local-language rendition of hit single “Bo Peep Bo Peep.” The group followed up with additional releases, “YAYAYA” in November and “Roly Poly” in February which were also taken from their Korean discography.