6 K-pop groups who stayed together after leaving their agencies: Got7, 2PM, Girls’ Generation, Mamamoo, Apink and Highlight all made comebacks with their OG members

So which groups stayed together even after members left the group’s original agency?
1. Got7


It seems their faith paid off: in May, the group made a comeback with all seven members present – something extremely rare for a group whose members are all in different companies.
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Despite over a year of radio silence with all members focusing on their solo activities, the group still managed to make a comeback as a whole with a bang, delighting all of their fans.
2. Girls’ Generation


3. Highlight

Highlight, formerly known as Beast, was in a similar situation to Got7 in that all the members left their agency – except this time, they all left for the same place.
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However, while all the members remained together, they were unable to keep their group name as it had been trademarked by Cube Entertainment. They ended up establishing their own agency and rebranded as Highlight – named after the last album they released as Beast.

Fortunately, they have seen plenty of success after their rebrand, with their most recent comeback having been in March of this year.
4. 2PM


Members had been active in solo activities, but K-pop fans, especially long-time ones, were highly anticipating the group’s comeback. Not only was it the group’s first comeback in years, it was also after its song My House went viral among the Korean public – albeit years after its release – and people were excited for new content.
5. Mamamoo

When Wheein left Mamamoo’s agency in June 2021, she did sign a separate contract so she would remain a member of the group until at least December 2023. Unlike the other groups on this list, this means that her future activities with the group are guaranteed and fans can stay at ease.
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The group’s last comeback was in September 2021 – after Wheein left the agency – though it did release a Japanese album earlier this year as well.
6. Apink

Naeun left Apink’s agency in 2021, but still remained part of the group and participated in its comeback this February – in a sense. Although was in the album and music video, she wasn’t present for any performances due to scheduling conflicts.

Some fans were disappointed while others were happy she was in the comeback at all. However, this was short-lived, as she officially withdrew from the group two months later due to difficulties maintaining both her acting and idol activities.

Though she was still a part of Apink for a while after officially leaving the agency, this is the only instance on this list where the member did eventually leave the group.

- Got7’s members all left JYP Entertainment and signed with different companies, but made it work with a comeback together, while 2PM had a temporary hiatus due to military service
- Mamamoo’s Wheein left but still does promo activities with the group; meanwhile, Apink’s Naeun stayed on but finally quit for good because of her busy schedule