According to Sports Kyunghyang, Sakura will return to Korea on the 23rd at 7:55 PM KST. The artist is expected to complete her contract with a label affiliated with HYBE Entertainment, home to BTS. Sakura will most likely sign with HYBEŌĆÖs label Source Music, which managed GFRIEND. If she finalizes the contract, she will reunite with Kim Chaewon, her IZ*ONE teammate who recently joined Source Music to be a part of its new girl group. The rumors of Sakura and HYBEŌĆÖs possible partnership were constantly raised in the industry. Though neither of them spoke clearly on the matter, SakuraŌĆÖs exit from her Japan group HKT48 added weight to her official debut under the K-pop powerhouse. Meanwhile, Source Music recruited SMŌĆÖs director Min Hee Jin, who had been in charge of creating concepts for f(x), GirlsŌĆÖ Generation, and Red Velvet, as their new CBO. Settling at a different label, she has been preparing to launch her own girl group, even holding a global audition. According to insiders, this new girl group will debut later this year. ┬Ā Source (1)
