Claims have emerged that Cocoro, who previously promoted in South Korea as a member of girl group Cherry Bullet, was also forced to leave Japanese girl group ME:I.
ME:I, formed through Produce 101 Japan The Girls, recently announced the departure of four members Cocoro, Ran, Shizuku and Kokona along with the termination of their exclusive contracts with the Lapone Girls agency. However, on December 25, Japanese magazine Josei Jishin reported that while the other three members chose to leave voluntarily, Cocoro alone would be fired from the agency.
Lapone Girls officially confirmed on December 22 that all four members had left the group and terminated their contracts. According to Josei Jishin, the agency tried to convince Ran, Shizuku and Kokona to stay. The three discussed renewing their contract several times before it expired at the end of the year, but ultimately decided to leave, a decision the company respected. Instead, the outlet said Cocoro was informed of the agency’s termination of her contract and has yet to fully accept the decision.
Following the announcement, Ran and Kokona shared statements saying they reached their decisions after deep reflection. Shizuku, who had previously been involved in dating rumors with JO1 member Ohira Shosei, publicly apologized, admitting that her careless behavior as an idol had hurt many people.
Cocoro, however, did not make any personal statement regarding the termination of the contract. Josei Jishin interpreted her silence as further evidence that she had been fired rather than leaving by choice.
The report stated that Cocoro had previously attracted criticism during Produce 101 Japan The Girls for acting independently without coordination, as well as for remarks and behavior that disrupted filming, which reportedly resulted in sanctions at the time. Despite this, the agency is said to have hoped that she would mature after her debut and take on a leadership role as the oldest member of the group.
Instead, the magazine said the problematic behavior continued after ME:I debuted. Cocoro allegedly arrived behind schedule on multiple occasions and displayed a lack of professional awareness. Even on the group’s official YouTube content, she was reportedly voted unanimously by members as the person most likely to be late.
The outlet also quoted an anonymous insider, claiming that Cocoro had taken a break starting in March this year due to health issues, focusing on treatment and rest. During this period, however, she would often be seen drinking late into the night without attempting to hide her identity, sometimes returning home early in the morning. There were also reports of her being seen socializing with flashy blonde hair despite being on medical leave. The agency reportedly warned her multiple times, expressing concern that her behavior could negatively affect other members, before ultimately deciding to terminate her contract.
Cocoro debuted in 2019 as a member of Cherry Bullet but left the group in December of the same year. After ranking 11th on Produce 101 Japan The Girls, she debuted again with ME:I and had been actively promoting in Japan before the recent controversy.
Sources: Daum
