Project girl group I.O.I’s Jeon So-mi wondered out loud on a TV program Monday whether she will have to wait two or three years until she can date a man without breaching the contract she has with JYP Entertainment.

She made the comment on infotainment program “Non-Summit,” where she was a guest alongside bandmate Zhou Jieqiong.

Japanese panel member Ogi Hitoshi asked So-mi what the consequences of dating were for Korean pop idols. He mentioned that a member of Japanese idol group AKB48 once shaved her head in apology following the disclosure of her romantic relationship.

Fifteen-year-old Somi explained that her contract with JYP Entertainment prohibits her from becoming romantically involved with anyone for three years.

Since starting official idol activities as a member of project girl group I.O.I, a group comprised of 10 other girls from varying agencies, So-mi has worked for a year.

(JTBC)

“But I’m not sure if this year counts. Once my I.O.I activities finish and I go back to being a full-time JYP artist, do I have to restart the clock?” Somi wondered out loud, making the audience break in to laughter at the starlet’s eagerness for romance.

Zhou Jieqiong, who belongs under Pledis Entertainment, also is contractually unable to date for three to four years.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)

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