Jung Eun-woo: ‘Shincheonji Girl Group, Going to Jirisan Mountain to Receive Energy from a Taoist Master’

Jung Eun-woo, a former member of the group Pristin, has revealed additional shocking anecdotes regarding the process of her re-debut. She claims that although she embarked on a new start hoping for the investor's proposal, she received insufficient support contrary to what was promised after signing the contract and was ultimately defrauded. Furthermore, waves of controversy are continuing as she shared unbelievable stories, such as going to Jirisan Mountain to receive energy from a Taoist master, and suspicious circumstances that occurred during the process of deciding the group's name.

On the 13th, Jung Eun-woo released a video titled 'Shincheonji Girl Group Story Part 2' on her Instagram. Previously, she had made claims suggesting that HINAPIA was close to being a group with a strong religious atmosphere. In this video, she shared additional specific anecdotes she experienced at the time and the difficulties she faced while preparing for her re-debut. However, the actual connection with religious organizations is a matter raised through Jung Eun-woo's claims and requires separate verification.

The most eye-catching part is what happened at Jirisan Mountain. Jung Eun-woo recalled, "They suddenly said let's go to Jirisan Mountain to achieve vocal mastery," adding, "They said they would give me energy, so each person went to the Taoist master to receive energy." She said she had this unexpected experience during the period she was preparing to stand on stage again with a new group. Attention is focused on this anecdote, which seems far removed from the process of honing one's skills as a singer and preparing for a debut.

She also said the process of deciding the group name was difficult to understand. Jung Eun-woo recalled the situation at the time, saying, "They had meetings among themselves and then said our name had to be HINAPIA." She continued, "It wasn't 'Hinapia' when they said 'Hihi,' it was HINAPIA. They said strange things like, 'The chairman told us to do it that way.'" This implies that the members did not receive sufficient explanation during the process of the name being decided. Her explanation that even the name symbolizing the new group's identity was decided in an incomprehensible way added doubt to the working environment at the time.

The part Jung Eun-woo was most disappointed with was the gap between the investor's promise and the actual support. She revealed that before the contract, the investor proposed, "Once you sign the contract, I will let you do everything you want to do." However, she claims that after signing the contract, the expected support did not materialize. Regarding appearances on music shows, Jung Eun-woo said, "If there were 7 music shows, it was whether we would go to 2 or not." This means sufficient opportunities for activities were not provided.

She also mentioned issues with stage costumes and budget. Jung Eun-woo claimed, "Even when we wore clothes, they gave us the cheapest ones from the shopping mall, and the budget was also too small." Her explanation is that although it was talked about as if they could promote without financial shortage before the contract, in reality, there were not even enough resources to support basic activities. She confessed that she was ultimately defrauded, saying, "The words that preparations were made so that there would be no financial regrets were all lies." While the specific contract details of the investor or the other party's position cannot be confirmed through the released statements alone, Jung Eun-woo stated that she felt great disappointment regarding the situation at the time.

Ultimately, Jung Eun-woo was the first to terminate her contract from the team. She said, "In the end, it didn't work out and I was defrauded, and I felt a sense of reality hitting me, so I was the first to terminate the contract." It is said that the decision to terminate the contract led from the fact that her expectations to leap forward again as a singer in a new team were crushed, and even the support for activities was different from the promise. Although she challenged herself once more for her debut, this time too, she had to make the decision to stop her activities rather than spreading her dreams on stage.

Jung Eun-woo stated that while she often receives questions about whether she intends to promote as a singer again, she explained the reason why she cannot easily return. She confessed, "The first group failed, and for the second one, I was defrauded, so I don't want to do it," and "It's a shame, but I felt that this is not my path." This is interpreted to mean that because both group activities ended shortly, not just once but twice, she has lost the mental capacity to grasp the dream of being a singer again.

Jung Eun-woo debuted in 2017 with the group Pristin, but the team disbanded after about 2 years. She took on a new challenge by re-debuting as HINAPIA in the same year, but HINAPIA also finished its activities after about 9 months. Having experienced consecutive interruptions in activities in two groups, she is currently working as a plastic surgery consultation manager. Although her time promoting as a singer on stage ended shortly, the things she experienced at the time still remain as memories that are not easy for her to shake off.

Read the original (Korean)