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1991-11-09 · Incheon · Female

4 series in the catalog

Ladies' Code (Korean: 레이디스 코드) is a South Korean girl group formed by Polaris Entertainment in 2013. The group's original lineup consisted of leader Ashley and members RiSe, EunB, Sojung, and Zuny. They made their debut with the mini-album Code and the lead track "Bad Girl", which were released on March 7, 2013. On September 3, 2014, the group was involved in a car crash that resulted in the deaths of EunB and Rise. Ladies' Code returned as a trio in February 2016 with the extended play Myst3ry. In October 2016, they issued "The Rain" from their EP Strang3r. The group left Polaris in February 2020 following the expiration of their contracts. The group is currently on indefinite hiatus, with the members pursuing solo careers.

Pre-debut

Before the establishment of the group, most of the members had some experience in the entertainment industry.

Rise participated in Miss Korea 2009 as a representative of Japan, and won the Korean Abroad Award. She gained popularity by starring in the talent show called Star Audition: The Great Birth, and finished in the Top 12. She then appeared with fellow Star Audition contestant David Oh as a couple on the reality show We Got Married in 2011. Rise later signed on with KeyEast before switching agencies in 2013.

EunB was previously a trainee under FNC Entertainment, where she was in the original line-up for AOA. However, she left the company prior to the group's debut because she felt she needed more experience as a trainee.

Sojung was a finalist and finished in the top eight of the first season of The Voice of Korea.

Ashley, prior to her debut, was known for uploading dance covers of K-pop songs to YouTube and for being a former trainee under Cube Entertainment. Zuny was mainly known for being a former trainee under BigHit Entertainment.

2012–2013: Bad Girl and Pretty Pretty

In 2012, Ladies' Code started recording their debut album. On February 20, 2013, Sojung confirmed that she would join a new girl group being formed by Polaris Entertainment, and that they would debut in the following month. Promotion began on February 25, 2013, with the release of Rise's teaser video, followed by Sojung's on the 26th, EunB's on the 27th, for Zuny's on the 28th, and March 1 for leader Ashley respectively. On March 4, 2013, they released the group teaser for their music video.

The group's debut mini-album Code along with the title song "Bad Girl" and accompanying music video was released on March 7, 2013. The day after their debut, their song charted well on the real-time music charts including Bugs, Soribada, Mnet and Daum, and eventually peaked at number 34 on the Gaon Digital Chart. They had their first live performance on M! Countdown the same day of the release with the group concluding promotions on Inkigayo on April 21, 2013.

Their first digital single "Hate You" was released on August 6, 2013, serving as a pre-release for their upcoming second mini-album. The group's return was originally set for July 25, 2013, however member Zuny had an unexpected leg injury which pushed back their comeback until August. The song debuted high on the real-time charts, achieving their first number-one single on Bugs Music and charting within the top 10 in four other music charts.

On August 21, 2013, Ladies' Code announced their comeback for their second mini-album, Code Pretty Pretty, which was released on September 5, 2013.

2014: "So Wonderful" and "Kiss Kiss"

Polaris Entertainment announced on February 4, 2014, that the group would make a comeback with their second digital single "So Wonderful." A still-cut of the first music video teaser was released on February 6, 2014, showing member Kwon Rise lying in transparent plastic wrap. The teaser was subsequently released online the following day with the second teaser on February 10. The song was produced by Super Changddai who worked with the group since their debut. The single along with its accompanying music video was released on February 13, 2014, with the group performing the song for the first time on M! Countdown the same day.

On July 31, 2014, Ladies' Code revealed a teaser image of their new single "Kiss Kiss" and released a video teaser the following day. A second video teaser featuring all of the members recreating kiss scenes such as the fairy tale "The Frog Prince" was released on August 5, 2014. On August 6, 2014, the music video for "Kiss Kiss" and the single were released on August 7, 2014. A limited edition CD single for "Kiss Kiss" was also released. The group began promotions for the song on KBS's Music Bank the following day.

On September 1, 2014, Ashley revealed that the group was in the midst of working on a new album, though whether it was a mini-album or full-length album is unknown. This would eventually be the last announcement made by the group with all 5 members.

Fatal car crash

On September 3, 2014, at around 1:30 am (KST), the group was involved in a serious car collision while returning to Seoul after attending the recording of KBS "Open Concert" at DGIST. The group's manager, Mr. Park, was driving the van (a Hyundai Starex) and had been speeding, driving 137 km/h (85 mph) in a 100 km/h (62 mph) zone for a distance of 30 km (19 miles). Rainy conditions made the road slippery, which caused Park to suddenly lose control of the vehicle, causing the group's van to hydroplane and skid several times before crashing into a protective wall in the vicinity of the Singal Junction on Yeongdong Expressway.

EunB was declared dead on arrival by the time the paramedics reached Sungbin Medical Center, while the remaining six passengers were rushed to various hospitals. Sojung and Rise, who suffered the most serious injuries, were taken to the Catholic University of Korea St. Vincent's Hospital in Suwon, listed under critical condition. Rise's condition quickly deteriorated and she was moved to Ajou University Hospital, where she eventually died four days later on September 7, 2014, at 10:10 am (KST). Sojung's condition was stabilized. Ashley, Zuny, Park, and one stylist also sustained minor injuries. On October 29, Ashley and Zuny were released from the hospital and spent time recovering at their respective homes, while Sojung was moved to a hospital in her hometown of Wonju. They returned to their group's dorm in Seoul on November 12, with Sojung continuing to receive outpatient treatment.

The investigation conducted by the National Institute of Scientific Investigation (NISI) revealed and confirmed that the cause of the collision was due to driving over the posted speed limit and that the van's back tire came off due to the impact of the van crashing into the protective wall. It had been reported that none of the van's airbags deployed at the time of impact, while witness accounts state that the vehicle rolled over multiple times after it hit the protective wall. An ambulance worker who was at the scene later reported that he did "not recall undoing any seat belts" as he attempted to help the injured passengers.

In the wake of EunB and Rise's deaths, the group would go on to achieve major success on the music charts as fans of the group began posting messages on online communities and SNS encouraging people to listen to the song "I'm Fine Thank You" (from the group's second EP Pretty Pretty) as a tribute and to fulfill EunB's dream of ranking first on the music charts. The song would eventually top several real-time music charts including Melon, Bugs, Genie, Monkey3, and Olleh, also peaking at number three on the Gaon Singles Chart, making it their highest-charting single. Both "I'm Fine Thank You" and "Kiss Kiss" would also go on to debut at number six and number 21 on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart, marking the group's first two entries on the chart.

The group's final performance with all five members aired on KBS on September 15, 2014, bookended with a tribute to EunB and Rise. On September 15, 2014, Polaris Entertainment released a tribute…