Fantasy Boys to debut on Sept. 21 without winner Yu Jun-won
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PocketDol denied the allegations, saying, "We did not force anything in regard to the contract."
The two sides both released another statement, with Yu disclosing the details of his contract to assert the company tried to make the members bear expenses unfairly. The company denied the claims, saying "it would reveal all related documents if necessary."
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Fantasy Boys, the project group from MBC's namesake idol audition show, will debut without the No. 1 winner Yu Jun-won, as a feud continues between Yu and the group's agency over his contract.
The team's management agency PocketDol Studio on Thursday announced that the band is set to debut on Sept. 21, pulled forward from the originally announced Sept. 25.
The announcement comes a day after the agency released a statement saying Fantasy Boys will debut as an 11-piece without Yu due to the member's "unauthorized departure."
According to the statement, which PocketDol released jointly with the program's production company Funky Studio, Yu and his parents gave the final word of withdrawal from the group following a disagreement on the income distribution.
In the statement, the agency claimed Yu and his parents insisted a raise in his share of the income, citing Yu's highest final score in the program. The firm had rejected the raise request, as such differentiation may lead to conflicts regarding fairness with the rest of the group.
Despite multiple sessions of negotiations to reach an agreement, Yu's parents pulled him out of schedules two times without the company's consent and ultimately notified the agency that he will not join the team.
Yu spoke out about the situation through a handwritten letter posted on his social media, saying he had been forced to agree to unreasonable terms by the agency.
"Not only did the company not accept my requests to amend unfair contract terms, but it tried to add more unacceptable conditions and coerced me by saying I could leave if I did not agree," Yu said in the letter.
PocketDol denied the allegations, saying, "We did not force anything in regard to the contract."
The agency claimed it was an industry norm for audition programs to write up contracts that divide payments equally for the members and the management, which is also the case for its contracts with Fantasy Boys members.
Yu's parents wanted their son's share in the profit to be set differently for all the activities, including album sales and concerts, where Yu would take 60 percent and the company 40 percent of the total.
"It was Yu's side who notified us in the first place that he will not sign to the contract if it wasn't revised as requested," PocketDol stated.
The two sides both released another statement, with Yu disclosing the details of his contract to assert the company tried to make the members bear expenses unfairly. The company denied the claims, saying "it would reveal all related documents if necessary."
Legal disputes regarding contracts have been ongoing in the local entertainment scene due to the way it operates. An entertainment agency typically invests large amounts of money into the members of a K-pop idol group before it begins making a profit.
Members of up-and-coming rookie band Fifty Fifty still find themselves at the center of a legal battle with their original agency Attrakt after they filed a lawsuit nullifying their exclusive contract with the agency, citing unfair profit distribution.
Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen of popular boy band Exo had also recently filed an antitrust complaint against SM Entertainment, but withdrew soon after reaching an agreement.
Fantasy Boys will debut on Sept. 21 as an 11-piece consisting of K-Soul, Kang Minseo, Lee Hanbin, Hikari, Ling Qi, Hikaru, Kim Wooseok, Hong Sung-min, Oh Hyeon-tae, Kim Gyu-rae and Kaedan.
By Choi Ji-won(jwc@heraldcorp.com)
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