Miss A's Jia Loses Full LA Tuition After English School Abruptly Shuts Down

Former Miss A member Jia received an email from her Los Angeles English school telling her it was closing, with about two weeks of prepaid classes still unused and no refund in hand. The school, reported to be EC English, halted operations amid financial difficulties, and Chinese-language media picked up the story after Jia described it in a video diary.

Jia was getting ready for class when the notice arrived. Lessons scheduled through the end of the month were cancelled, and she had paid tuition in full in advance. Whether that money will come back has not been confirmed.

She was not the only student caught out. Chinese actress Jin Chen (Jin Chen is also rendered as Kim Shin in Korean) enrolled at the same school and says she lasted two days. In a livestream, she described finishing four days of work in China, flying back to the US, and learning of the closure as soon as she landed. She had prepaid too, and has not been refunded.

A 35-year-old chain, closed across campuses

Local reports describe the school as an English-education provider with roughly 35 years of history. It reportedly suspended multiple campuses because of management problems, and one account says the chain's operations were stopped worldwide. Both women had crossed the Pacific specifically to improve their English, and the sudden shutdown disrupted that plan.

Jia, for her part, has responded calmly. On her personal channel she wrote that plans cannot keep up with change, so she is accepting what happens, and said she will keep practicing conversation by talking directly with locals on the street.

Where Jia stands now

Jia debuted in 2010 with Miss A under JYP Entertainment, and the group's hits included Bad Girl Good Girl, Breathe, Good-bye Baby and Hush. Her contract with JYP ended in 2016, and since then she has built a solo singing and television career centered on China. That market is why this story first surfaced in Taiwanese and mainland-facing outlets rather than Korean ones.

The practical question is the refund. With a school in financial collapse, students are usually creditors in a queue, so I would not expect quick resolution, but nothing here has been confirmed either way.