S.E.S.'s Eugene to Leave SM Entertainment Dec 21, 2002)
http://www.grooveasia.com/news/index.php?b=article&id=1294

Fans of female group SES are in panic mode right now after news broke
out that new contract negotiations between member Eugene and SM have
broken down and that she has decided to leave the company.

Today on December 19 SM Entertainment released a public statement
which stated that Eugene would be leaving for a solo career or
whatever other path she chooses and that they would not pursue her
anymore for a contract extension.

According to SM the current contracts signed by the SES members back
in 1997 ends on December 23, 2002. SM representatives have also said
that they are currently working on long term deals for Bada and Shoo
but that no agreement has been reached yet.

A lot of industry insiders have expressed that without long time
member Eugene SES should only break up but SM added in their
statement, "We have not decided on anything regarding the situation."

There is a chance that if and when Bada and Shoo sign contract
extensions that a new member might be introduced to replace Eugene in
order to continue the group. But that might not bode well with both
Bada and Shoo who instead might look to go at other directions. Bada
has been rumored to wanting to go solo while Shoo has been doing TV
activities and might also be looking at an acting career. Eugene was
the only SES or SM member not to lend her voice for the recently
released SM Town Winter album.

The question of couse in everyone's mind is why? Why is Eugene
leaving Kpop's top girl group and Korea's "glamour" company in SM
Entertainment?

Incidentally the same things are being said when JTL left SM a year
ago that she wants more freedom and the like. According to rumors
she's supposedly leaving SM to join Park Yong Ha's entertainment
company.

Park Yong Ha is the actor she met while shooting the KBS
drama "Loving You" back in the summer and whom Eugene had a well
publicized romantic relationship ever since. Word is that she has
dreams of continuing singing and acting and under the guidance of
Park Yong Ha become a top actress in Korea just not under SM which is
mostly a music record company.