Ju Haknyeon, the singer who was expelled from K-pop boy band The Boyz, said he never left the group and denounced his agency for forcing him out of the company.

On June 18, his agency, One Hundred, announced, “We immediately took the measure of suspending activities after receiving information that Ju Haknyeon was recently involved in a private life issue, and took the time to thoroughly check the facts,” it said.

It added, “As a result, we took the seriousness of the matter into consideration, and we clearly recognized that it is difficult to continue trust as an artist. Accordingly, after sufficient discussion with the members of The Boyz, we have finalized Ju Haknyeon’s withdrawal from the team and termination of his exclusive contract.”

Korean media reported that Ju Haknyeon was removed from the boy band after he paid for sex with a former Japanese adult video actress in May.

In a second post on Instagram, Ju Haknyeon dared media outlets to release evidence that he engaged in prostitution by offering money for sex in Japan. 

Prostitution is illegal in South Korea. Under the country’s law, prostitution is defined as receiving or promising to receive money and valuables in exchange for sex.

“Despite my clear stance that I have not committed any illegal acts, I will take all legal action, civilly and criminally, against some reporters and media outlets who continue to write malicious articles,” wrote Ju Haknyeon.

He said, “If there is evidence that I engaged in prostitution, please disclose it immediately.”

In addition, he said, “Also, I have never left the team, and I have never agreed to the termination of my exclusive contract.”

He said One Hundred “is trying to make it seem as if there is a reason for termination, even though there is no reason for termination stated in the contract, and some media outlets are defaming me by mentioning prostitution without any basis.”

“The agency demanded compensation of over 2 billion won [about $1.46 million] and told me to leave the company, but I have never accepted this. Despite this, the agency told the media that the termination of the contract was confirmed. This is clearly false,” he said.

The singer said, “I would like to ask whether the agency's attitude of unilaterally expelling me from the team and urging me to terminate my contract by demanding compensation of over 2 billion won just because I was with a famous person in a private setting is really the attitude of the agency that should be protecting the artist.”

“When I refused to accept the termination of the contract, the agency unilaterally sent me a certified mail stating that the contract was terminated due to my fault, ignoring the procedures stipulated in the contract, and even warned me about compensation. It's really scary.”

“But I thought that if I give up here, this society might end up becoming a place where people without anything can collapse for things they didn't do. I have been silently enduring this until now, believing that the truth will come out. However, when faced with the attempt to bury a person using something they didn't do as an excuse, I felt that I could no longer remain silent.,” he said.

According to him, “I want to hold accountable the agency that unfairly kicked me out of the team, and insisted on terminating my contract without any basis, and some media outlets that mentioned prostitution with unconfirmed facts, and hurt me. No matter what happens, I will go all the way to reveal the truth. I hope this fight can give someone a little hope and courage.”

One Hundred responded to Ju Haknyeon’s post, saying, We deeply regret Ju Haknyeon's one-sided false claims. First, we decided to suspend Ju Haknyeon's activities because we recognized that this incident would cause great harm to the team's activities.”

“Afterwards, we looked into the situation in detail, and made the decision after making Ju Haknyeon fully aware that the incident was grounds for contract termination according to Article 6, Section 3 of the exclusive contract, which states, 'Acts that damage the dignity of a popular culture artist to the extent that they cause interference with entertainment activities,' it said.

It added, We have terminated our exclusive contract with Ju Haknyeon in accordance with the terms of the exclusive contract, and we would like to make it clear that this was a just and reasonable action. The essence of this matter lies in Ju Haknyeon's evasion of responsibility and repeated distorted claims. If Ju Haknyeon continues to make these claims, we will respond resolutely by using all legal means possible to prevent our artists and the company from suffering any damages as a result, and we will submit supporting data and evidence to the legal authorities.