All You Need to Know About Soloist and Ex-Kara Member, Young-ji
Heo Young-ji was the youngest member of girl-group KARA. She joined the group through a survival show called “KARA Project” in 2014. However, KARA chose to disband, and since then, Heo Young-ji has pursued a solo career. The singer has been through a lot of hard times since KARA dibanded. Let’s check her latest news here.
Young-ji’s Life After Left KARA
After KARA’s disbandment on January 15, 2016, an announcement came from DSP Media, saying that Heo Young-ji would be pursuing a solo career since the other KARA members were leaving both the group and the agency due to their contracts expiring. Although KARA’s Park Gyu-ri stated the group hadn’t yet disbanded, they were already busy with their own individual schedules.
Solo Career of Young-ji
Heo Young-ji has been active as an actress and soloist under DSP Media since then. She took a supporting role for the tvN drama “Another Oh Hae Young”, and has also appeared on several tv shows as a cast member.
For singing projects, Heo Young-ji became the first hidden member for DSP Media’s co-ed group, K.A.R.D.’s, debut single Oh Na Na. She also debuted as a soloist with the song Memory Clock.
Young-ji’s Eating Disorder
After KARA’s disbandment, Heo Young-ji developed an eating disorder. She discussed the issue in an interview on the SBS documentary series “SBS Special: The World That Idols Live In – After The Stage”, which on aired on October 28, 2018. The documentary focused on the difficulties faced by many idols after their groups disband or cease active promotions.
Young-ji became a binge eater and was feeling lost after KARA’s disbandment. She ate a lot to try to fill the empty feeling inside her. She even removed the batteries of the front door entrance alert so she could sneak out without any sound. She ran so could eat at a convenience store. Young-ji revealed she would be crying at the same time she was eating.
“Rather than fear, I just kept thinking, ‘What should I do?’ and ‘What can I do?’”
“When I was with [the other KARA members], I felt like they were protecting me, and it seemed like I could achieve something. But [without them], I wondered if I would be able to ever stand on stage again, and that thought made me incredibly sad.”
“For a brief period of time after KARA ended, I was in such a state of mental shock that I actually developed binge-eating disorder. I ate so much. No matter how much I ate, I didn’t feel full.”
“I removed the batteries so that the front door wouldn’t make a sound, and then I ran to the convenience store in the rain and then I ate while crying.”
“My group was gone, so of course I was upset. At the time, I didn’t know how to deal with my feelings.”
“When I think about it, there was more happiness than there were difficult times,” she said. “I’d want to be an [idol] again, but I’d also be afraid of ending up on the same path.”
