The Boyz members end contracts, but will go ahead with April concert
The Boyz / Courtesy of One Hundrel Label
Agency rejects the members' notice of contract termination
Nine members of K-pop group The Boyz have notified their agency, One Hundred Label, that they are terminating their exclusive contracts while still planning to move ahead with the group's concert in April.
In a statement released Thursday, attorney Kim Moon-hee of Yulchon LLC, who represents nine members of the group, excluding New, said they have notified the group's agency on Feb. 10 that they were ending their exclusive contracts over what they described as “serious violations” of the agreement and an “irreparable breakdown” of trust.
According to the statement, the contracts are therefore lawfully terminated and are no longer in effect.
However, One Hundred Label later said it “cannot accept” the group’s notice of contract termination.
Kim said the group decided to take action after the agency allegedly failed to pay members proper settlement amounts for all activities from July 2025 onwards despite having paid settlement funds through the second quarter of 2025.
The attorney also claimed that although the artists repeatedly asked to review basic materials, including contract-related documents, in order to verify the transparency of those payments, the agency refused those requests without valid reason.
Kim further argued that the company had abandoned its “basic and essential duties” as a management agency under the exclusive contracts.
The statement also said the members only later learned that One Hundred had received advance payments worth tens of billions of won based on the group’s entertainment activities.
“Nevertheless, the agency has yet to provide any responsible explanation or convincing account of the current situation in which settlement payments have not been made to the artists,” the statement said.
The Boyz / Courtesy of One Hundred Label
The members also said they had continued their activities quietly for a long time despite prolonged uncertainty in an effort to keep their promises to fans.
They accused the agency of not only failing to properly support costs essential to their entertainment activities, but also delaying payments for months to staff members working alongside them on site.
According to the statement, this left the group under intense emotional strain in an environment where even basic support had been allegedly cut off.
The members said they ultimately reached the painful conclusion that they could no longer overlook or endure the situation and that trust between the two sides had broken down beyond repair — leading them to make the difficult decision to terminate the contracts.
Still, the group said it plans to proceed with its concert scheduled for next month in order to avoid passing harm on to third parties.
Kim said the members had “made the difficult decision” to go ahead with the concert, adding that they also intend to carry out all previously confirmed schedules responsibly through the end.
“In order to repay the love fans have shown them, they will continue to do their best both as a team and in their individual roles,” their attorney said.
The statement also addressed member New, who did not take part in the termination notice and chose instead to maintain his exclusive contract.
According to Kim, New expressed his personal wish to remain with the agency after sufficient discussions with the other artists involved.
The members, he said, respect each individual member’s choice and position and that The Boyz will continue exploring different paths forward while cooperating as needed in the best interests of the team and its fans.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.