The CEO of FANTASY BOYS‘ agency has officially addressed former member Yu Junwon‘s departure, offering the #1 trainee a chance to rejoin the group.
FANTASY BOYS | @fantasyboys_twt/Twitter
In August, it was announced that Yu Junwon, the first-place winner on MBC’s debut survival program FANTASY BOYS, would be excluded from the final lineup of the debut group.
FANTASY BOYS’ agency, PocketDol Studio, claimed that Yu Junwon was unable to come to an agreement with their contract and that his parents had high demands that the agency couldn’t fulfill. On the other hand, Yu Junwon and his parents claimed that the company lied about certain facts.
Yu Junwon | iMBC
On December 5, PocketDol Studio’s CEO Kim Kwang Soo addressed Yu Junwon’s departure through an official statement.
If Yu Junwon acknowledges his mistakes and returns before the Tokyo concert, we will move forward with him after discussing with the members.
— CEO Kim Kwang Soo
PocketDol Studio, Kim Kwang Soo | Star News
He continued that there are legal issues that may be in the way of this happening but that he will persuade their production company, Phunky Studio, to withdraw all lawsuits. He also claimed that he would bear the legal costs that are needed.
Finally, he shared that moving forward with the lawsuit could hurt Yu Junwon’s future and that he would contact Yu Junwon soon.
If the lawsuit period is prolonged, it may have a negative impact on Yu Junwon’s future. We will contact Yu Junwon by this afternoon.
— CEO Kim Kwang Soo
| @fantasyboys_twt/Twitter
Yu Junwon was on the brink of debuting with FANTASY BOYS after his win. However, due to unauthorized departure and issues regarding profit distribution before the official debut, he did not join. He filed for a court-ordered suspension of the exclusive contract against the company.
On November 24, the court dismissed Yu Junwon’s application for the court-ordered suspension of the exclusive contract. Consequently, he is now responsible for all legal costs, including the production company’s legal fees.
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The court viewed that most of the terms the production company presented to Yu Junwon were in line with the standard exclusive contract for K-Pop singers according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism guidelines.
The production company has already filed a lawsuit claiming ₩3.00 billion KRW (about $2.28 million USD) in damages against Yu Junwon, who appointed a lawyer and submitted a response. The trial is expected to proceed early next year.
