LADIES' CODE

* 2013
* 2019

**레이디스 코드** (Eng: *LADIES' CODE*) is a South Korean girl group formed by Polaris Entertainment in 2013.

Their lineup originally consisted of five members; Rise, Ashley, EunB, Sojung, and Zuny.

## Predebut

In mid to late-2012, Polaris Entertainment recruited the LADIES' CODE trainees from other companies; Rise from KeyEast Entertainment, Ashley from Cube Entertainment, EunB from FNC Entertainment, and Zuny from BigHit Entertainment. Sojung was scouted from her appearance on *The Voice of Korea*.

## Music history

> *→ see Discography*
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> *→ see Chronology*
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LADIES' CODE made their debut on March 7th, 2013 with the EP *CODE#01 Bad Girl*. On April 26th, it was announced that LADIES' CODE's fanclub name was Lavely. The song *Hate You* was released as a single on August 6th. On September 5th, the second mini-album *CODE#02 PRETTY PRETTY* was released. LADIES' CODE and 120 other idols came together for the 2013 Gayo Daejeun Friendship Project with the song "You Are A Miracle". It was released on December 30th.

The single *So Wonderful* was released on February 13th, 2014. LADIES' CODE was featured on the original soundtrack for the drama *Grandpas Over Flowers Investigation Team* with their song "Make Me Go Crazy", released on May 16th. On August 7th, they released the single *KISS KISS*.

## Car accident

At 1:20AM on September 3rd, 2014, LADIES' CODE's manager crashed their van. EunB was killed almost immediately while Rise and Sojung were severely injured. After many hours of surgery, Rise succumbed to her injuries at 10:10AM on September 7th. Sojung underwent several surgeries on her face and was able to fully recover. Ashley and Zuny received minor injuries. In mid-September, Polaris released a music video for I'm Fine Thank You in honor of the lost girls, which included behind-the-scenes footage.
In late May 2015, it was announced that a memorial concert was being planned. The I'm Fine Thank You Rise & EunB Memorial Concert was held on August 22nd in Tokyo, Japan, at the Shinagawa Stellar-ball, in honor of Rise's dream that the group would someday perform in her home country. At the concert, Polaris artists Kim Bum Soo, IVY, Rumble Fish, Sun Woo, Han Heejun, and Sojung performed a cover of "I'm Fine Thank You". The single was later released on September 3rd, 2015, the one-year anniversary of the accident and EunB's death. Ashley, Sojung, and Zuny performed their first song since the accident, "I'll Smile Even if it Hurts", at the concert. It was released as a digital single on September 7th, the one-year anniversary of Rise's death.

## Music history (continued)

On February 24th, 2016, LADIES' CODE officially returned as a trio with their album *MYST3RY*. The album is the first part of a project called the Healing Trilogy. A remix album, *MYST3Re:*, was released on March 30th. The second part of the Healing Trilogy, *STRANG3R*, was released on October 13th.

On January 7th, 2017, LADIES' CODE appeared on the show *Immortal Songs - Singing the Legend*. They covered the song "Butterfly" by Loveholics. On February 4th, the group competed on the JTBC singing show *Sing For You*. The girls, along with the ethnic fusion band 2nd Moon, performed the song "All That Time", which was composed specifically for their performance on the show.

On March 7th, 2018, LADIES' CODE held a fanmeet to celebrate their fifth anniversary, called CODE#R3BORN. This fanmeet serves as the third and final part of the Healing Trilogy. On December 12th, the girls released a seasonal single called *THE LAST HOLIDAY*.

LADIES' CODE appeared again on *Immortal Songs - Singing the Legend* on April 13th, 2019. This time, they covered the song "Miniskirt" by Min Haekyung. The single *FEEDBACK* was released on May 16th, making it their first properly promoted comeback in over two years. Several months later, the EP *CODE#03 SET ME FREE* was released on October 10th. It is a continuation of the "CODE#" EP series, six years after CODE#01 and CODE#02.

## Departure from Polaris Entertainment

On February 17th, 2020, it was revealed that Ashley, Sojung, and Zuny had chosen not to renew their contracts with Polaris Entertainment. Ashley confirmed in a handwritten letter that the group is on an indefinite hiatus and will be focusing on their solo activities for the foreseeable future. Ashley later clarified that they have not disbanded and a future comeback is possible.

On March 23rd, it was announced that Zuny joined Actorsaid Entertainment.

On April 14th, 2021, it was announced that Sojung signed a contract with Drama House Studio, a label under JTBC Studios (later renamed Studio LuluLala, or SLL).

Starting on July 15th, 2022, Sound K began an hour-long segment on Fridays called "Hey~ Ladies Kode!" featuring Sojung and Zuny with Ashley as the host. This lasted until September 23rd when Sound K aired its final episode.

## Solo activities

> *→ see each member's page (Rise, Ashley, EunB, Sojung, Zuny)*
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## Members

 Choi Bitna (Ashley) | second vocal, leader
 Go Eunbi (EunB) †
 Lee Sojung | main vocal
 Kim Jumi (Zuny) | sub vocal, maknae

## Discography

* *CODE#02 PRETTY PRETTY* (2013)
* *STRANG3R* (2016)
* *CODE#03 SET ME FREE* (2019)

Singles* *Hate You* (2013)
* *So Wonderful* (2014)
* *KISS KISS* (2014)
* *I'll Smile Even if it Hurts* (2015)
* *MYST3RY* (2016)
* *MYST3Re:* (2016)
* *THE LAST HOLIDAY* (2018)
* *FEEDBACK* (2019)

Collaborations* "You Are A Miracle" (2013) — with 2013 SBS Gayo Daejeon Friendship Project

Compilations* "Butterfly" (2017)
* "All That Time" (2017)
* "Miniskirt" (2019)

## Cancelled comebacks

* In 2015, Sojung wrote and composed an entire LADIES' CODE album. They recorded all of the songs, however, the album's release was cancelled to due "unavoidable circumstances".
* HyunJin (LOOΠΔ)'s solo song "Around You" was originally written by Monotree for LADIES' CODE. Jaden Jeong, Polaris and BBC's A&R Director, had requested it for LOOΠΔ instead, so the melody of the chorus was altered to fit their concept more. The original version ("Around You 2.0") was performed at the LOOΠΔVERSE concert in February 2019.
* The third Healing Trilogy song, "Birthday", would have been released in the summer of 2017, but everything was cancelled because of "changes in the company" and staff.

## Trivia

* LADIES' CODE's name is meant to represent what women think and feel, and represent all women's heart. Their goal is to represent women all over the world and tell their stories through charismatic and dramatic performances on stage.
* "레코" (*LaCo*) is the shortened name for LADIES' CODE in Korean, from the first letters in "레이디스" (*Ladies*) and "코드" (*Code*). In English, LADIES' CODE is typically shortened to its initials, "LC".
* LADIES' CODE's greeting began with Ashley saying "Hey ladies!". Then, the other members chime in and together they say, "안녕하세요, 레이디스 코드 입니다!" (Eng: *Hello, we are LADIES' CODE!*). They would also make an "L" shape with their hands.
* Before their performances, the girls would huddle. Ashley would say, "The show starts now", a line from Dada La, and they would all break the huddle by shouting "Let's go!".
* The girls have cited Brown Eyed Girls and Wonder Girls as influences for their music.
* In 2013, Polaris stated that Ashley was the first member to join the LADIES' CODE lineup, and Rise was the last member.
	+ However, during a livestream in 2016, Zuny said *she* was the final member to join the lineup, after the others had already begun learning their songs and choreography.

## References

1. ↑ 레이디스코드 데뷔 5주년 기념 V LIVE CODE#R3BORN
2. ↑ Daum Cafe: 안녕하세요 폴라리스 엔터테인먼트입니다
3. ↑ LC\_Sinformation: 200217 Polaris Entertainment Announcement
4. ↑ Daum Cafe: 사랑하는 레블리 여러분께
5. ↑ LC\_\_Ashley: Thank you. I love you
6. ↑ Ashley Choi’s Favorite & Least Favorite Ladies’ Code Songs KPDB Ep. #91 Highlight
7. ↑ Arirang Radio / Sound K Hey! Ladies Kode~ with Sojung & Zuny 소정 & 주니
8. ↑ Marie Claire Sojung magazine interview April 2021
9. ↑ Hyunjin-Around You was Ladies'Code's song | Monotree oddity talks 08
10. ↑ (LOONA/HyunJin) "Around You 2.0" - 190216 [LOONAVERSE D1] fancam
11. ↑ Sound K 200805
12. ↑ Sound K 200812
13. ↑ SoundK 210430
14. ↑ YouTube - I'M: LADIES` CODE(레이디스 코드)\_Pretty Pretty(예뻐 예뻐)
15. ↑ YouTube - LADIES CODE OFFICIAL YOUTUBE CHANNEL OPEN!! ver. ENGLISH
16. ↑ 헤럴드경제 - ‘실력파 5인조 걸그룹’ 레이디스 코드 “브아걸이 롤모델, 노래·춤·연기까지 완벽한 퍼포먼스 그룹 될래요”
17. ↑ 뉴스엔 - 레이디스코드 “원더걸스 같은 국민돌 되고싶다”(가요광장)
18. ↑ donga: 레이디스 코드 “걸그룹 홍수? 실력으로 뚫을거에요”
19. ↑ V LIVE - LADIES` CODE "MYST3RY한 3주년 집들이" 13:53