Girls' Generation's Yuri sheds tears after 25 years with SM Entertainment

Girls' Generation's Yuri shed tears as she concluded her 25-year journey with SM Entertainment. Moving beyond a simple expiration of her exclusive contract, she personally bid farewell to the agency that witnessed her growth and peak years since her trainee days, revealing the deep emotional weight of a relationship built over decades.

On the 2nd, Yuri released photos and videos on her SNS captured ahead of the termination of her contract with SM Entertainment. She wrote, “I joined as a trainee in 2001, and 25 years have passed before I knew it. Thank you for raising me, cherishing me, and loving me, Yuri.”

In particular, Yuri even prepared farewell gifts for the executives and employees she worked with for a long time. The gifts included the message, “Thank you for raising me for 24 years. I wish you all happiness. I love you, SM,” along with the phrase, “Goodbye, everyone.” It was also reported that when recently asked what her most expensive purchase was, she chose the farewell gifts for the staff who worked for her.

Yuri, who seemed to be preparing for the parting calmly, could not suppress her emotions at the final moment. She released an image of herself with reddened eyes wiping away tears, accompanied by the short but powerful sentence, “I loved you.” She continued her greeting, saying, “Since we will be together again, let's meet again with smiles. I love you, SM. Goodbye.” At the end, she even posted a composite image of herself leaving the company with a smile and a raised hand, resembling a 'resignation meme,' concluding the moment of parting with her characteristic playfulness.

To Yuri, SM is more than just an agency; it is a space that shares her entire growth process. From starting as a trainee in 2001 to debuting with Girls' Generation in 2007, she spent a significant portion of her adolescence and youth at the company, and she was part of the process as Girls' Generation grew into a representative girl group of Korean popular music.

Starting with their debut song 'Into the New World,' Girls' Generation released a string of hits including 'Girls' Generation,' 'Gee,' 'Make a Wish,' 'Oh!', 'Run Devil Run,' and 'I GOT A BOY,' moving in tandem with the industrial expansion of K-pop. In particular, the syndrome created by 'Gee' went beyond the consumption patterns of idol music at the time, influencing fashion, choreography, and general pop culture, and remained an important case for the globalization of K-pop as they expanded their activities into the Asian market, including Japan.

Yuri did not limit herself to group activities. She built her own territory as an actress, moving between dramas, films, and variety shows with works such as 'Fashion King,' 'Defendant,' 'Jewel in the Palace,' and 'Bossam: Rewind.' She is evaluated as an example of an artist who expanded her scope from an idol star to an actor by portraying different characters in every work, rather than settling for her history as an actress from an idol background.

This contract termination does not mean the disbandment of Girls' Generation itself. While Yuri is concluding her individual exclusive contract with SM, she plans to continue her group activities as a member of Girls' Generation. This aligns with the recent trend in the K-pop industry of 'separating group and individual contracts.' A model where members maintain the group's identity and joint activities while having different agencies for their individual pursuits is increasingly becoming a common model.

Yuri has recently begun new steps by engaging in unit activities under the name 'Hyori-soo' with Hyoyeon and Choi Soo-young. While sharing the massive name of Girls' Generation, the process of independently expanding their respective careers is in full swing.

A period of 25 years is more than enough to explain most of a person's career in the entertainment industry. For Yuri, the parting from SM carries more meaning than a typical contract change involving the selection of a new agency. This is because it is a farewell to the organization that shared her youth, from a trainee to a member of a world-class girl group. Nevertheless, as Yuri said, “Since we will be together again,” the end of the contract does not erase the 25-year relationship itself. This farewell, where tears and laughter intersected, can also be read as a moment where the relationship between a star and an agency that shared an era transitions into a new form.