(G)I-DLE's agency flips on contract statement, confirms Soyeon's contract ends in November

The contract for Soyeon of girl group (G)I-DLE does indeed end November, her agency Cube Entertainment said Tuesday, going back on its initial statement that all (G)I-DLE members' contracts end next year.

Girl group (G)I-DLE member Soyeon [ILGAN SPORTS]

The contract for Soyeon of girl group (G)I-DLE does indeed end November, her agency Cube Entertainment said Tuesday, going back on its initial statement that all (G)I-DLE members' contracts end next year.

Cube Entertainment's original statement came after the (G)I-DLE member rapped the words “contract ends in November,” “do I have to care?” and “no one can stop me" during her solo performance of her song “Is this bad b****** number?” at the group's concert held last weekend.

“Some of the local media reports around the performance are not true,” Soyeon’s agency Cube Entertainment said Tuesday in a statement.

Fans took this performance as a signal of her leaving Cube Entertainment after November.

Cube Entertainment officials said to the press at the time of the concert that Soyeon’s antics were not expected and that the lyrics were changed without its knowledge, according to local media reports. It also stated at the time that the contract with (G)I-DLE ends next year.

But Cube Entertainment confirmed Wednesday that the contract with (G)I-DLE indeed ends in November in a statement. The agency said a previous statement by a “certain individual” was not official.

The performance was planned in agreement with the agency, according to Soyeon, who took to Instagram, saying, "The response of the agency overall was lacking." She added that she is not harboring "ill feelings about the company after just reading some articles."

“There are times when my work seems a little excessive,” said the singer on her Instagram story. “But I would never lie or act to harm someone else, doing morally questionable things intentionally.”

“It was the same for this performance. I never lied or hid my intentions from the company,” said Soyeon. “It was a stage that was rehearsed dozens of times in front of everyone.”

(G)I-DLE debuted on May 2, 2018, and next May will mark the quintet's seventh anniversary. The girl group is known for its hits — mostly composed and produced by the leader Soyeon — “Latata” (2019), “Lion” (2020), “DUMDi DUMDi” (2020), “Tomboy” (2022) and “Nxde” (2022). The girl group released its seventh EP "I Sway" with lead track "Klaxon" on July 8. The standard contract recommended by the government lasts for seven years in the entertainment industry, after which many artists leave their initial company to pursue their solo careers.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]