Twice Jihyo’s Sister Seoyeon Joins Hybe’s New Girl Group Tuide

TWICE leader Jihyo spent nearly a decade preparing for the moment she could finally call herself an idol. Her younger sister, Park Seoyeon, is now approaching the same starting line but under a completely different K-pop system.

Seoyeon has officially been introduced as a member of TUIDE, the first girl group from HYBE’s newly established label ABD. The seven-member team will release its debut EP, TUNE & PLAY, on August 24 at 6 p.m. KST.

The announcement immediately attracted international attention because Seoyeon is Jihyo’s youngest sister. Yet the connection also creates a complicated challenge: before the public has heard her official debut song, she is already being evaluated through the career of one of K-pop’s most recognizable performers.

Two sisters entering two different K-pop eras

Jihyo joined JYP Entertainment when she was eight years old and trained for approximately 10 years before debuting with TWICE in 2015.

Her path included years of uncertainty, a canceled debut project and an appearance on the survival program SIXTEEN. Following TWICE’s formation, the members selected Jihyo as their leader.

Seoyeon’s complete trainee history has not been publicly disclosed, so it would be inaccurate to conclude that she had an easier journey simply because TUIDE’s launch looks faster from the outside.

What is clear, however, is that the two sisters are debuting through noticeably different promotional systems.

Jihyo spent years almost entirely unknown to the wider public before appearing on a televised competition. Seoyeon, by contrast, has entered the spotlight through official social accounts, multilingual introduction videos, a global fan platform and a carefully controlled pre-debut showcase.

It reflects how much K-pop promotion has changed over the past decade. Rookie groups are no longer introduced only through television appearances and traditional teaser photographs. They are now expected to build international communities before their first song reaches streaming platforms.

TUIDE Seoyeon and TWICE Jihyo / TUIDE Instagram, Jihyo Instagram

TUIDE performed five songs before officially introducing its members

TUIDE took an especially unusual approach to its pre-debut campaign.

On August 1 and 2, the group held “TUIDE EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW [PLAYGROUND]” at Layer11 in Seoul. The event accepted 225 people per day through a raffle for TUIDE’s Weverse community members, allowing up to 450 attendees across the two dates.

The group reportedly performed all five songs from TUNE & PLAY approximately three weeks before the album’s official release. Photography, video recording, audio recording and livestreaming were prohibited, keeping the music unavailable to people outside the venue.

That strategy reversed the usual order of a K-pop debut.

Instead of releasing short audio snippets and allowing social media users to analyze every second, ABD gave a small audience access to complete performances while preventing those performances from circulating online.

The result was a form of controlled exclusivity: enough people heard the music to generate curiosity, but not enough material escaped for international listeners to form a complete opinion.

It also suggested that ABD wanted TUIDE’s first reputation to come from its performance ability rather than only its visuals or corporate connection to HYBE.

Seoyeon is already carrying the “Jihyo’s sister” label

When TUIDE’s seven members were officially introduced, Seoyeon quickly became one of the most discussed names.

Fans shared side-by-side photographs of the sisters and commented on their resemblance. Others resurfaced an older moment in which Jihyo said she would like to return to the day her youngest sister was born and she held her for the first time.

The reactions were largely affectionate. International fans described the sisters as beautiful, expressed excitement about another performer joining the family and noted similarities in their facial features.

That early attention gives Seoyeon an immediate advantage in visibility, but it also places her under unusual pressure.

A rookie without a famous relative is normally evaluated after revealing their voice, dance style and personality. Seoyeon is already being compared with an artist who has spent more than a decade building a reputation for powerful live performances, leadership and stage presence.

Being known as “Jihyo’s younger sister” may introduce her to millions of K-pop fans. Escaping that description will require her to establish qualities that belong specifically to Seoyeon.

TUIDE Seoyeon / TUIDE Instagram

Different companies and potentially different musical identities

The sisters are also beginning their careers under two of the industry’s most influential corporate systems.

Jihyo remains closely associated with JYP Entertainment, the company that formed TWICE. Seoyeon will debut through ABD, a HYBE-affiliated label created to develop girl groups.

TUIDE is being produced under the direction of Han Sung Soo, the PLEDIS Entertainment founder associated with the development of acts including After School, SEVENTEEN, IZ*ONE and TWS.

The group includes Seohee, Seoyeon, Elena, Jia, Saki, Seah and Yihani. According to the label, the members have connections to South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan and were born between 2006 and 2011.

Their introductory video reinforces that international positioning. Korean, English, Japanese and French are heard over a minimal beat as the members repeatedly introduce the TUIDE name.

Rather than presenting the group as another version of TWICE, ABD appears to be building TUIDE around multilingual communication, cross-cultural membership and a more globally coordinated debut campaign.

The comparison will follow Seoyeon but it should not define her

The contrast between Jihyo’s decade long trainee period and TUIDE’s private five-song preview creates an attractive headline. However, it does not tell the full story.

Performing an album before debut does not reveal how long Seoyeon trained, how many evaluations she faced or how many times her debut plans may have changed. It only shows that the public introduction surrounding her is different from the one Jihyo experienced.

Jihyo entered K-pop through the demanding trainee and survival-show structure that shaped many third-generation groups. Seoyeon is arriving in an era of Weverse communities, international launch strategies and carefully protected pre-release experiences.

Her family name has already opened a door to public attention. What happens after August 24 will depend on whether listeners remember her as Jihyo’s sister or begin recognizing her simply as TUIDE’s Seoyeon.