Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station has imposed a travel ban on a K-pop trainee, preventing him from leaving South Korea. This action follows a complaint filed by his management agency, which alleges the trainee previously signed with another company, violating contractual agreements.
According to both police and the agency, the individual, whose identity remains undisclosed, departed from a six-member boy group in December, just two months before their scheduled debut. He cited “broken trust” as his reason for leaving.
The boy group had already completed a music video and released its first single on streaming platforms. The agency had also publicly introduced all six members. The group is now operating as a quintet following the Japanese member’s departure.
The agency later discovered that the trainee had already entered into an agreement with a different management company, a commitment he reportedly also reneged on.
“He repeatedly signed with Korean agencies, leading them to invest significant amounts of money in him, only to disappear just before his groups were set to debut,” stated the agency that filed the police complaint. “Smaller agencies often hesitate to pursue legal action in such cases due to the time and high costs involved, and this individual seems to be exploiting that vulnerability.”
That company estimates the financial damage caused by the Japanese trainee’s disappearance to be approximately 57 million won (US$38,590). This figure includes expenses for training, choreography, recording, music video production, and the group’s residential rent.
Police authorities currently believe the Japanese individual remains within South Korea.
This incident highlights challenges in the global K-pop industry. According to the Korea Creative Content Agency (KCCA), out of 963 K-pop trainees at the end of 2024, 42 were foreign nationals. The KCCA emphasizes the growing responsibility of K-pop agencies in managing the careers and providing legal protection for their foreign members.
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