Girls' Generation's Yuri Parts Ways With SM After 19 Years, But the Group Isn't Done

Yuri is out at SM Entertainment after 19 years, and the label confirmed it themselves. SM announced on July 31 that they and Kwon Yuri had reached a mutual agreement to end their contract as of August 31, 2026, closing the book on a partnership that started when she was a teenager.

The critical line in SM's statement: "Girls' Generation activities will continue as planned." That's the part fans were waiting on, and SM led with it almost immediately after breaking the news, which tells you something about where the anxiety was.

Yuri debuted with Girls' Generation in 2007, when the group became one of the biggest acts in Korean pop history. She spent nearly two decades under the same roof as the group's other members, the label's roster, and its entire corporate infrastructure. Nineteen years is a long time to be anywhere, and she's now the latest Girls' Generation member to exit SM while keeping her ties to the group itself.

Beyond the group, Yuri has steadily built a solo career as an actress and TV personality. Most recently, she wrapped a run in the stage play The Wasp in April, another sign that her individual work has been moving further from SM's core business for a while. The split reads less like a falling-out and more like the natural end of a long arrangement.

Where she lands next hasn't been announced.