Court approves The Boyz' bid to suspend agency contract
A South Korean court has granted an injunction allowing nine members of The Boyz to suspend their exclusive contract with their agency, One Hundred Label Co., Ltd..
In a statement, lawyer Kim Mun Hui of Yulchon Law Firm said the Seoul Central District Court approved the group’s request for a provisional injunction.
“The court granted the artists’ application to suspend the validity of the exclusive contract,” she said on April 23. “This confirms that their contract with the agency has been lawfully terminated and is no longer in effect.”
The nine members involved are Sangyeon, Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Kevin, Q, Sunwoo, and Eric.
In February, the group informed the agency they were ending their contracts, citing unpaid earnings and a breakdown of trust. The agency rejected the move last month.
The Boyz had transferred to One Hundred in December 2024 from IST Entertainment.
One Hundred said it entered into contracts with The Boyz under the agreement that all 11 members would promote as a full team for the duration of the contract period, backed by substantial signing bonuses for each member.
The agency said that “various controversies” involving members last year led to member departures, disrupting team stability and making normal group activities difficult.
In response, lawyer Kim Mun Hui of Yulchon Law Firm defended the members, saying the court recognized serious breaches by the agency.
She cited unpaid settlement funds, failure to provide settlement data, and lack of proper management support and artist protection, which she said led the court to conclude that trust between both parties had completely broken down due to the agency’s fault.
The agency had argued that signing bonuses should be treated as advance payments, but the court rejected this claim. It clarified that signing bonuses and profit-based settlement payments are separate under the contract, and that there is no agreement allowing bonuses to replace settlement funds owed to the artists.
The court further stated that signing bonuses are distinct compensation paid at the time of signing, reflecting an artist’s existing popularity and future value, and are part of recruitment incentives agreed upon by both parties.
Kim added that the agency’s attempt to reinterpret the nature of the signing bonus was an effort to overturn its own contractual judgment.
She also noted that despite the dispute, the members have continued to honor pre-arranged schedules to avoid harming fans and third parties, and have been rehearsing and preparing for performances, even bearing some costs themselves.
The artists expressed gratitude to fans while acknowledging the stress caused by the legal dispute, saying they hope remaining procedures with the agency proceed more smoothly. They added that they will continue their activities with a sense of responsibility and appreciation for fan support.