Contrary to rumors that the departure of Nicole and Ji-young from Kara would result in the end of the popular idol girl group, fans can let out a sigh of relief as Kara will be making its way back to the public eye this month.

According to an announcement by DSP Media on Monday, the formerly five-member act is, in fact, searching for replacements and will be doing so on a TV audition program titled “Kara Project.”

Remaining Kara members Ha-ra, Gyu-ri and Seung-yeon will star in the upcoming mini-series, which will feature six episodes that act as a documentary for the group and an audition battle for seven DSP Media trainees competing to join.

Nicole recently returned to Korea after studying in the U.S. for several months, announcing she wished to become a free agent and is considering pursuing a career as a solo artist. Ji-young, on the other hand, opted not to renew her contract with Kara after it expired in April, stating she wanted to “focus on her studies and acting career.”

DSP Media released a statement in January claiming that whether Kara remained a trio or moved on to find new members, the agency had plans for a comeback in the second half of the year with the release of a new album.

“Kara Project” will air its first episode on MBC Music on May 27.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)