Jewelry Maintains 20-Year Friendship: 'Real Best Friends' Who Even Embrace Jo Min-ah's Son

Twenty years is a span of time that can make the relationships of people who once shared the same stage feel entirely foreign. However, for the girl group Jewelry, it was different. Following a long hiatus, the four members recently reunited on stage, and their reunion is drawing attention as something more than a mere 'full-group event'—it is a restoration of a relationship that extends off-stage, where they naturally care for Jo Min-ah's son.

On the 12th, Jo Min-ah shared several photos on her social media (SNS) expressing her thoughts on appearing on the KBS2 variety show 'Immortal Songs.' She wrote, "The 'Immortal Songs' stage with Jewelry and Kang-ho was truly enjoyable and happy, creating precious memories with Jewelry's first stage in 20 years. Thank you, Ji-hyun unnie and Jung-ah jjang, for being so lovely and taking such good care of Kang-ho. Jewelry forever!"

The photos captured a warm atmosphere backstage with the members of Jewelry, including moments surrounding Jo Min-ah's son, Kang-ho. In particular, the sight of Lee Ji-hyun carrying Kang-ho on her back left a deep impression on fans. Seeing former teammates from their girl group days naturally looking after a child as Jo Min-ah has become a mother shows that their relationship has not been severed by time, but has instead continued in a different form of life.

The biggest topic of the '2026 NEW WAVE Festival in Ulsan' episode of KBS2's 'Immortal Songs' was indeed Jewelry. It has been approximately 20 years since Park Jung-ah, Lee Ji-hyun, Seo In-young, and Jo Min-ah appeared on a broadcast stage together. Starting with 'One More Time,' the four performed representative hits from Jewelry's heyday, including 'I Like You So Much,' 'Tonight,' and 'Super Star.'

As the significance of the stage was great, the preparation process was not entirely smooth. Lee Ji-hyun confessed that it was not easy to dance in high heels as she did in the past, and there were moments when she would forget the choreography immediately after memorizing it. Jo Min-ah also revealed that they underwent considerable practice to close the gap between members, especially since they had to master songs that were unfamiliar to both her and Lee Ji-hyun.

While the 20-year physical gap left traces on the members' bodies, their musical memories were clearer than expected. As 'I Like You So Much,' 'Tonight,' and 'Super Star' echoed through the Taehwa River National Garden in Ulsan, approximately 10,000 spectators responded to the familiar melodies and choreography, summoning the Jewelry of the past to the present stage. For fans who were in their teens and 20s at the time, it was a stage that called forth memories of youth, while for current viewers, it was a time to reaffirm a page of 2000s pop music.

In particular, Seo In-young appeared moved to tears after finishing the performance. She joked, "I feel like I'm going to cry again. Maybe it's menopause," but there was a depth of emotion that could not be dismissed with laughter. Park Jung-ah also admitted that it was breathless to stand on stage after such a long time, with all four members showing reactions that seemed to physically sense the gap in time.

The history of Jewelry is difficult to explain simply as a popular girl group of a certain era. From the early 2000s, even through member changes, they produced hits across generations like 'I Like You So Much,' 'Super Star,' and 'One More Time,' with Park Jung-ah, Lee Ji-hyun, Seo In-young, and Jo Min-ah each constituting the group's color at different times. This stage was special because it wasn't just members from a specific era, but the four members that fans remember, all appearing together.

A more interesting aspect is that the four are no longer bound solely by the identity of being former girl group members. Park Jung-ah has expanded her field of activity as an actress, and Lee Ji-hyun continues her professional journey as a beautician. Jo Min-ah, after marrying and giving birth in 2020 and later divorcing in 2022, has built a second career as an insurance solicitor while raising her son alone. It is known that she has recently been building a new foundation for her life through successful insurance sales.

Given that these four individuals, who have lived such diverse lives, met again, the scene involving Jo Min-ah's son Kang-ho is even more meaningful. While the members once formed a single team on stage by matching choreography and songs, their intimacy has now shifted into a relationship where they understand and care for each other's families and lives.

The photos released by Jo Min-ah, showing Lee Ji-hyun carrying Kang-ho and Park Jung-ah writing a handwritten letter to the child, symbolically represent this. In fact, Jo Min-ah expressed her gratitude to the two, saying, "Thank you, Ji-hyun unnie and Jung-ah jjang, for being so lovely and taking such good care of Kang-ho," and Park Jung-ah's handwritten letter written for Kang-ho also drew interest from fans.

Looking at their relationship, Jewelry's past history naturally overlaps. Their relationship, which was consumed only in the public sphere of broadcasting and stages during their active years, has now expanded into a private relationship where they share their respective families and daily lives. This is why the expression 'Jjin-chin' (real best friends) is more appropriate than 'full group.'

For Jo Min-ah, this stage was a significant burden both emotionally and physically. She revealed that during the preparation process, she could not rest for several weeks due to her father's memorial service and consecutive lecture schedules, and that she was rushed to the emergency room after her vocal cord nodules and herniated disc worsened after completing the schedule. She shared her feelings that while her physical strength seemed to collapse all at once after the tension was released, she was relieved that the illness allowed her to take a brief rest.

Because of this, this reunion cannot be viewed simply as nostalgia marketing. It is not about forcibly replicating their younger selves to recreate past glory, but a way for the four individuals who have lived their own lives to sing the songs of the past as who they are now. The girls who once performed intense choreography in heels have grown into adults who have raised children and changed careers.

Nevertheless, in front of music, they became Jewelry again. Seo In-young wiping away tears, Lee Ji-hyun reviving old choreography, and Park Jung-ah and Jo Min-ah syncing with the members, all emphasized the continuity of their relationship over the disconnection of time. The reason why seeing them care for each other's lives off-stage—carrying a child and giving handwritten letters—is more powerful than seeing them as a 'full group' on stage is exactly this.

For fans who remember the girl groups of the 2000s, Jewelry's stage was not an act of returning to the past, but an event where the past and present met in one place. And the photos including Jo Min-ah's son recorded that time even more vividly. The fact that the four people who sang together 20 years ago have now become close enough to care for each other's children was a scene that showed what Jewelry's true 'full group' really is.