Following the recent news of Kara members Nicole and Ji-young’s decisions to leave the popular K-pop girl group, representatives of the girls’ agency DSP Media announced that despite their departure, which is shrinking the five-member act into a trio, Kara will in fact continue on as a group.

Although nothing has been decided on whether or not the agency will look for replacements, an official of DSP publicly stated that the remaining three members will focus on their individual activities during the first half of this year but assures fans of the agency’s plans to have Kara make a comeback in the second half of the year with the release of a new album.

Member Ji-young announced her decision to leave Kara on Wednesday, stating that once her contract expires in April, she wishes to “focus on her studies and acting career,” while Nicole, currently a free agent, had announced that she will depart for the United States soon to study.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)