Wonder Girls Call Off US Tour

Sunmi, left, poses with the four other Wonder Girls members in this file photo. / Korea Times

Release of English-Language Album Also Postponed

By Cho Jae-hyon
Staff Reporter

K-pop quintet the Wonder Girls have cancelled their U.S. tour originally planned for the end of the month, due to a recent lineup change, their agency said, Thursday.

"We won't be able to proceed with the tour as planned. The postponement of the release of their U.S. debut album is also unavoidable," an official from JYP Entertainment said. "We are going to discuss the next steps in the future."

With the cancellation of the tour and delay of the English-language album's release, the group's future activities are expected to undergo major modifications.

The decisions came after Sunmi, 18, suddenly left the five-member group in order to study. Sunmi will be replaced by Hye Lim, 18, who has been groomed by the group's agent for the past three years with the view that she will appeal to Chinese fans. She is fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.

"We have decided to delay the album's release in order to let new member Hye Lim join the group," the official said. "We will make sure that there will be no glitches in their activities in the U.S. and other countries."

The Wonder Girls' plan to tour the U.S. surfaced last year when Park Jin-Young, president of JYP Entertainment, mentioned it during an interview with Billboard.com. At that time, he said that the group would perform in six major U.S. cities and release an English-language album in February.

However, Sunmi's abrupt departure has stalled the plan.

JYP Entertainment expects the tour to happen in the middle of the year when Hye Lim is expected to be settled in as a new member of the group.

chojh@koreatimes.co.kr

원더걸스 미국 투어 전격 취소

여성그룹 원더걸스가 이달 말로 예정됐던 미국 투어를 전격 취소했다.

원더걸스 소속사 JYP엔터테인먼트의 한 관계자는 "예정대로 투어가 진행되지 못하게 됐다. 미국 데뷔 앨범 발매도 연기가 불가피한 상황"이라고 전했다.

이는 멤버 선미의 탈퇴와 관련된 것으로 보인다. JYP는 일단 미국 투어 취소와 함께 4월로 예정됐던 미국 데뷔 앨범 발매 연기 등 향후 일정 조율 등으로 숨고르기에 나섰다.

이번 미국 활동 수정에는 선미 대신 투입된 새 멤버 혜림의 참여와 멤버들간의 호흡을 맞추기 위한 전략으로 풀이된다.

JYP 측은 혜림이 원더걸스와 원활한 호흡을 맞추게 될 때 쯤인 올 중순 미국 투어를 재개할 계획인 것으로 전해졌다.

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