K-pop starlet Joo-yeon may be parting ways from the eight-member girl group Afterschool as well as her label Pledis Entertainment, according to news reports that began circulating Monday.

Her contract with Pledis is scheduled to expire on Dec. 31 and it was reported that Joo-yeon had no plans to renew her contract with the agency or remain as a member of Afterschool. The reports also said that her last activity with the group will be Afterschool’s upcoming Chinese concert on New Year’s Eve.

After the news broke, representatives of Pledis quickly responded, saying that while Joo-yeon’s contract is set to expire at the end of the year, she has not made any final decisions about leaving the group or the agency.

“We are currently in the process of discussing the matter,” said a Pledis official.

Rumors circulated that the 27-year-old K-pop star wants to pursue an acting career, having played a number of on-screen roles. Joo-yeon recently played a role in the MBC drama “A New Leaf,” alongside Kim Myung-min and Park Min-young.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)