It has been reported that popular K-pop singer Se7en will not be returning to his long-time agency, YG Entertainment, following his military discharge this past December.

According to news reports on Wednesday, despite the seemingly amicable relationship between Se7en and officials at YG, it appears that the artist has decided not to renew his management contract, which expired just prior to his military enlistment in 2013.

Although rumors of his potential future free-agency had circulated years back after it was revealed he hadn’t renewed his contract before enlisting, on the day of his military discharge YG officials sent a car to pick up the artist, which led people to believe Se7en would in fact be returning to the company.
 

As one of the nation’s largest K-pop agencies, YG has already promised fans the return of a number of its artists including the hallyu king Psy and mega boy band Big Bang, as well as the much-awaited debut of its newest boy group iKON.

It has been speculated that Se7en was skeptical over whether YG could even guarantee him a speedy comeback given its hectic schedule.

However, despite the decision for Se7en and YG to sever ties, it appears that there is no animosity between the two parties and that they parted on good terms. Although the artist is currently without an agency, an industry insider reported that there are a number of interested parties looking to snag the 30-year-old.

“There have been about five or six agencies that have expressed great interest in Se7en following his discharge,” the insider stated in news reports.

Se7en remained under the guidance of YG Entertainment since the very beginning of his K-pop career, after signing to become a trainee with the agency at age 15. After four years of hard training and practice, the star made his solo debut with the single “Come Back to Me” in 2003. Since then he has released numerous hit albums including his most recent, “New Mini Album Se7en,” which was unveiled in 2012.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)