Yu Junwon’s Parents Criticize FANTASY BOYS’ Agency For Lying And Manipulating The Media
Recently, FANTASY BOYS‘ agency announced that Yu Junwon would not debut with the group. His parents released a statement criticizing the agency for its excessive contract demands and manipulative media play.
FANTASY BOYS is an idol group formed from the reality survival program Fantasy Boys. A total of 12 members were selected through the audition process to debut as K-Pop idols.
However, on August 23, it was announced that the trainee who ranked first, Yu Junwon, would be excluded from the lineup. Pocketdol Studio, who took over the management of FANTASY BOYS, released a statement stating that Yu Junwon had left without permission.
Yu Junwon addressed his leaving the group in a statement, claiming that Pocketdol Studio made untrue statements.
I requested that some unfavorable clauses in the contract to be edited, but they were not, and I kept on asking for a few reasonable conditions to be edited in the contract. However, the company ended up adding some ridiculous conditions and tried to force an agreement. When I refused, they simply informed me out of the blue that I can leave the team. As such, I have reached a stage where my trust in the company’s attitude cannot be recovered, and after which, I made the decision that I will be unable to create and sustain a new contract relationship with the company.
— Yu Junwon
On August 24, Yu Junwon’s parents released a statement sharing their opinions on the issue. They stated that Pocketdol Studio distorted the truth about their alleged request for an increased distribution ratio for their son.
Furthermore, initially, Pocketdol Studio claimed that we requested a profit distribution ratio of 6:4 and hadn’t signed the contract, but in the final statement, the profit distribution ratio was shown as 5:5. This is a self-contradiction in their argument. We have clearly stated that the profit distribution ratio was agreed upon to be 5:5 and have raised no objections. Please stop distorting the truth any further.
— Yu Junwon’s parents
They also claimed that they lost trust in the agency after they claimed all the trainees agreed to pay monthly personnel expenses.
The company stated that other teams (other artists under Pocketdol Studio) proceeded with the contract, and all artists were told to pay personnel expenses. Then, what amount of monthly personnel expenses are they talking about? Whether the executive’s words were true or false, it led to a situation where they could not be trusted.
— Yu Junwon’s parents
Yu Junwon’s parents claimed that the agency’s statement that Yu Junwon left the group without authorization was invalid because they did not reach an agreement regarding the contract.
In the end, after being notified that an agreement could not be reached, we returned home with Junwon. And since we had no agreement in the contract, nothing is valid, and the claim of unauthorized departure is not true.
— Yu Junwon
Lastly, they claimed that this situation was similar to the FIFTY FIFTY controversy, and they expressed their concerns for the other FANTASY BOYS members who are scheduled to debut.
We cannot help but be furious at the company’s media play that is trying to turn this into a FIFTY FIFTY issue. They should stop now. If they intended to ruin his image as someone in the entertainment industry, where image is everything, and prevent him from ever working in the industry again, that’s already enough. Moreover, for the sake of the kids who are about to debut, they should stop. And everything should be resolved in court, not in the media.
— Yu Junwon’s parents
FANTASY BOYS announced that they will officially debut on September 21.
Read Yu Junwon’s parent’s complete statement here.
Hello. This is Yu Junwon’s parents. This situation should not have escalated to this point, but it has become a painful and frustrating situation.
Yu Junwon has recently become an adult as an individual trainee, so as parents, we find ourselves in a situation where we have to step in on behalf of the agency regarding the contract.
After the broadcast ended (June 8th), there was no discussion about the contract from the company, so on June 23rd, through the company manager, we requested a phone call with the person in charge, but there was no response. So on the 29th, I contacted them again, and after a call with the person in charge, we received the contract documents via email on the 30th. At that time, although it was notified that it was unreasonable to proceed with the company’s schedule without an agreement on the contract, Yu Junwon diligently participated in company activities such as the Japan concerts. Therefore, the claim that he was staying in his hometown without agreement during the negotiation process is not true.
Furthermore, initially, Pocketdol Studio claimed that we requested a profit distribution ratio of 6:4 and hadn’t signed the contract, but in the final statement, the profit distribution ratio was shown as 5:5. This is a self-contradiction in their argument. We have clearly stated that the profit distribution ratio was agreed upon to be 5:5 and have raised no objections. Please stop distorting the truth any further.
In the end, the decisive reason for not being able to proceed with the contract was that, through consultations with an executive on July 27th and subsequent discussions, we lost trust in the company. The company stated that other teams (other artists under Pocketdol Studio) proceeded with the contract, and all artists were told to pay personnel expenses. Then, what amount of monthly personnel expenses are they talking about? Whether the executive’s words were true or false, it led to a situation where they could not be trusted.
What parent would easily agree after hearing this? However, we tried to remain calm and requested a fair settlement via email on that night. However, through a phone call the next day, we experienced even greater frustration. In the end, after being notified that an agreement could not be reached, we returned home with Junwon. And since we had no agreement in the contract, nothing is valid, and the claim of unauthorized departure is not true. We did not have an issue with the settlement.
We’ve already clarified that point of agreement… We cannot help but be furious at the company’s media play that is trying to turn this into a FIFTY FIFTY issue. They should stop now. If they intended to ruin his image as someone in the entertainment industry, where image is everything, and prevent him from ever working in the industry again, that’s already enough. Moreover, for the sake of the kids who are about to debut, they should stop. And everything should be resolved in court, not in the media.
Thank you for reading this long message, and we are sorry for Junwon and the other kids who are about to debut.
— Yu Junwon’s parents
