KARA likely to be disbanded

KARA / Courtesy of DSP Entertainment

K-pop band KARA will be disbanded next month, industry sources and media reports said Monday.

Three of its members _ Park Gyu-ri, Han Seung-yeon and Goo Hara _ have been looking for new agencies since late 2015, because they will not renew their contracts, which will end at the start of February, with DSP Media.

The trio's exit leaves only Heo Young-ji, who joined in 2014. It remains unclear whether DSP Media will launch a new group and keep the name KARA, but Feb. 2 will be the end of the four-member act.

Goo is expected to move to an agency that has a strong overseas presence, such as Keyeast, SM or JYP Entertainment. Han and Park are also rumored to be looking for companies that can help their acting careers, sources say.

KAKA debuted in 2007 and had multiple hits including “Mister” and “Lupin.” But the band had break-up issues when original members Kang Ji-young and Nicole Jung left in 2014. Kang stared an acting career in Japan and Jung will release a second solo album in March.

The band has been more active in Japan since 2010, and became the first Korean girl band to perform at the Tokyo Dome in 2013.