[Exclusive] The Boyz file lawsuit against agency over contract termination, begin legal response

\r\n
[Financial News] It has belatedly been confirmed that the idol group The Boyz filed a provisional injunction lawsuit against its agency, ONE HUNDRED, seeking to invalidate their exclusive contracts. This is the first time The Boyz's legal response has been made public. The group is demanding contract termination, saying trust has been broken because settlement payments were not made. The agency, meanwhile, says the delay was only temporary and that payment will be completed.
At the first hearing on the injunction case over the suspension of the exclusive contract's effect between The Boyz and ONE HUNDRED Label, held on the 20th before Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 50, presided over by Judge Lee Hyung-woo, The Boyz's lawyer told the court, "The relationship of trust regarding the exclusive contract cannot be restored," and asked, "Please grant the injunction as soon as possible so the group can continue stable activities."
The case surfaced earlier this year. Nine members of The Boyz, excluding New (birth name Choi Chan-hee), notified the agency of their intent to terminate their exclusive contracts on Feb. 10. That was 15 months after signing the contracts. They cited the following reasons for termination: nonpayment of settlement money for the third and fourth quarters of 2025, refusal to allow access to settlement records, breach of management obligations, and unauthorized contracts with third parties involving The Boyz.
After the agency said it could not accept the claims, calling them clearly false, The Boyz filed a complaint with Seoul Central District Court on the 23rd of last month.
During the hearing, The Boyz argued that "the concert scheduled for the 24th to 26th is being held without the agency's help, using the members' own money and advance payments from related companies," adding that "the spaces the agency should provide, such as practice rooms, cannot be used because the agency has not paid the rent."
The Boyz also stressed that the agency had not settled about 5.5 billion won in service fees owed to outside companies, including stylists and album producers. They added that this had completely destroyed the management system, including support for the members' entertainment activities.
The agency, however, argued that the unpaid settlement payments were only temporarily delayed because of banking procedures and were not intentional. It said it planned to pay 1.824 billion won, including 6% late interest, later in the afternoon and then submit the relevant documents to the court.
The agency also said, "Settlement payments were made normally in the first and second quarters, so there is no problem with the relationship of trust," adding, "The settlement basis documents were already provided on a quarterly basis, and the undisclosed portions include information about other artists, so they constitute trade secrets."
It further argued in court that the 1.5 billion won paid when each member signed their exclusive contract was effectively an advance settlement payment, that the members were acting as if the contracts had already been terminated even though they were still in effect, and that the agency was still maintaining the contract despite damage to the group's image, including the departure of two members.
The agency's lawyer added, "If the injunction is granted, the agency would be effectively no different from being declared bankrupt," and said, "This is merely an attack for a hostile M&A, and there are no management problems."
theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo Reporter