The Boyz, photo courtesy of|OneHundred
Nine members of The Boyz (Sangyeon, Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Kevin, Q, Sunwoo, Eric) directly refuted the assertion by OneHundred Label CEO Cha Ga-won that they had “completed settlement.”
On the 22nd, Yulchon, counsel for The Boyz, issued an official statement, stressing that “all nine members of The Boyz (hereinafter, the artists) make it clear that, not only at the time the agency announced its official position that it had ‘completed payment of settlement monies to the artists,’ but even up to now, they have not received any funds whatsoever, including unpaid settlement monies for 2025 Q3·Q4.”
OneHundred CEO Cha Ga-won. Photo courtesy of|KBS YouTube capture.
Yulchon explained that “even before filing for injunctive relief, payment deadlines were postponed and then reversed multiple times, yet there has never been any normal payment; in particular, even during the process of responding to the artists’ application for a preliminary injunction to suspend the effect of the exclusive contract, the agency repeatedly specified payment dates and stated it would pay the settlement amounts and delay damages by those dates, but in reality no payment has been made at all.”
It continued, “It is deeply regrettable that a false official position of ‘settlement completed’ was announced when no settlement payment had been made at all,” and emphasized, “The artists take seriously that claims contrary to fact have caused unnecessary confusion and concern to fans and stakeholders, and ask for understanding. In particular, we hope that, while legal proceedings are underway, the repetition of categorical assertions that are contrary to fact, which only spread conflict and fatigue, will not continue.”
Recently, The Boyz filed a criminal complaint against CEO Cha Ga-won for alleged violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (embezzlement). In response to this news, first reported exclusively by Sports Kyunghyang, the legal representative for Cha denied the allegations, stating, “The embezzlement charge brought by The Boyz is entirely untrue,” and, “We have faithfully fulfilled our settlement obligations.” They added, “We will respond by mobilizing all legal means, including a charge of false accusation, against the artists.”
However, Yulchon countered, “The criminal complaint filed by the artists is being investigated in accordance with due process, and the artists are faithfully cooperating with investigative procedures, including submitting necessary materials at the request of the authorities.” It continued, “We have officially confirmed that, as of April 20, Yongsan Police Station decided to transfer the case to the Financial Crimes Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. The investigative body in charge is determined by whether formal requirements are met, not by the substance of the case; therefore, to make comments about the legal validity of the complaint based on which office is handling it is nothing more than an attempt to mislead public opinion,” and further emphasized, “With respect to the case transferred on April 20, the agency representative must clarify whether, within less than a day, the Financial Crimes Investigation Unit reviewed the matter and refused a consolidation request, and by what route and how such facts were confirmed. If the agency representative received official secrets as a result of improper police contact, the parties involved must bear corresponding responsibility.”
They also signaled another strong response toward OneHundred. Yulchon stated, “The agency must immediately stop distorting public opinion based on content contrary to fact or repeatedly making baseless accusations against the artists and legal counsel, and if such conduct continues, the artists will also respond firmly, including all possible civil·criminal measures.”
It concluded, “The dispute over the effect of termination of the exclusive relationship between the artists and the agency is to be decided by the court through the injunction proceeding, and the criminal complaint will likewise be legally judged through the investigative process,” adding, “Rather than repeatedly making unilateral claims through the media using false facts and categorical expressions, we hope for sincere cooperation with the legal process so that a prompt decision and resolution can be reached.”
Previously, nine members of The Boyz, excluding New, also filed, on February 10, for a provisional injunction to nullify their exclusive contract with OneHundred. Citing broken trust due to a failure by OneHundred to properly pay settlement monies, they notified OneHundred of termination of the exclusive contract for reasons including ‘non-payment of settlement monies, refusal to allow inspection of settlement materials, and breach of management obligations’. This came only one year and three months after The Boyz signed with OneHundred, and the first hearing on the application The Boyz filed to suspend the effect of the exclusive contract was held on the 20th.
