Girl group KARA's Jiyoung has also decided that she won't be renewing her contract with current agency DSP Media. The matter of her future public appearances has drawn attention from her fans.

It's been reported that Jiyoung has expressed desire to pursue a solo career. On January 15th DSP Media stated, "We've received a statement saying she wants to leave KARA and pursue her academic and acting careers." According to her agency, Jiyoung plans to leave the country to study abroad this coming April.

For now we know that she'll be studying abroad, but fans can't help but wonder what she will do after that. It was most likely that she would emerge as a solo artist, but since her dream is to become an actress, that seems to be the most probable. Of course, there's always the possibility that she'll join another group.

Jiyoung appeared on "Rainbow Rose" and "The Double Life of KARA," and has wet her feet in acting.

As the youngest member of the group, Jiyoung has always stood out and received the fans' love for being the cute and charming member of the group. She was especially popular in Japan, and her talking tone and facial expressions have contributed to her popularity among male fans. She's also showcased charismatic sexy performances as part of KARA.

Jiyoung was the last member of KARA to potentially renew her contract with DSP Media. Previously Seungyeon, Hara, and Kyuri renewed 2 year contracts with the agency. On the 14th DSP Media announced that Nicole, who's been with the group for the past 7 years, would be letting her contract expire on the 16th.

Since Jiyoung will also be leaving the team, the rest of KARA has been put in a position to renew their team color. Fortunately since Seungyeon, Kyuri, and Hara have worked together for a long time, there won't be any issues with the group's stability.

KARA performed as a 5-member group for the last time at the end of the year awards shows. DSP Media stated, "Until her contract expiration in April, there will be no further changes. Preceding Nicole's contract expiration on the 16th, KARA performed for the last time as a 5 member group. There probably won't be any more opportunities to see all 5 members perform together."

On the 15th DSP Media stated, "Jiyoung still has time before her contract expires in April, and has planned schedules. Just as we've reported before, Jiyoung had expressed during our contract renewal discussion that she'd like to leave the country to study abroad. Starting in April KARA is planning to continue their activities with Kyuri, Seungyeon, and Hara."