On Oct 30th, the first episode of “John Park Is Buying the Meal,” a new web variety show on YouTube channel TEO, was released.
Appearing as the show’s first guest, Kwon Yuri shared a meal with John Park and talked about her life and feelings following the end of her contract with SM Entertainment.
During the conversation, Yuri said, “I graduated from SM,” adding, “I’m learning everything from A to Z, and it’s so much fun.”
She went on to mention the responsibilities she now has to handle herself, including issuing tax invoices, attending legal meetings, and planning and filming YouTube content. “I realized that there are so many things I don’t know how to do on my own, more than I expected,” she admitted.
“I had so many people around me helping me before I even had the chance to go through the process of accomplishing something by myself, or trying again when things didn’t work out,” she explained. “So, even though I’ve gotten much older, I’m still very young in some ways. I’ve lived a life where I’ve been very well protected.”
Yuri also confessed, “Sometimes, I don’t even really know what I genuinely like.” Looking back, she said, “Because I was in an environment where I received feedback so quickly, there were so many times when I chose something because someone told me it looked good on me, rather than asking myself whether I truly liked wearing it.”
She added that the experience had taught her an important lesson: “I’ve realized that I need to try things one by one on my own, even if I fail along the way.”
When John Park asked what had changed the most about her, Yuri replied, “I used to feel like I always had to do well and that I absolutely had to be perfect. But as I kept looking at and confronting my shortcomings as Kwon Yuri the person, I started thinking things like, ‘Well, that can happen’ and ‘What’s wrong with not being good at something?’”
She continued, “I think I’ve also become more generous toward other people and more understanding of everyone’s individual circumstances.”
After hearing her story, John Park commented, “It seems like you’ve changed in a positive way.” Yuri agreed, saying, “I think I’ve become more at ease,” reflecting on how her mindset has changed since becoming independent.
Meanwhile, Kwon Yuri’s exclusive contract with SM Entertainment, which lasted 19 years, officially came to an end on August 31.
