The Boyz notify contract termination with One Hundred over unpaid settlements

The Boyz have notified their agency One Hundred of the termination of their exclusive contracts, citing unpaid settlement payments, the group’s legal representative said Thursday.

According to law firm Yulchon, all members except New informed the agency last month that they would terminate their contracts due to “material breaches of the exclusive agreement and an irreparable breakdown of trust.”

“The artists notified One Hundred Label of the termination of their exclusive contracts on Feb. 10, 2026, citing serious violations of the agreement and the resulting irreparable damage to mutual trust,” said Kim Mun-hui, The Boyz’s lawyer at Yulchon. “Accordingly, the contracts have been lawfully terminated and are no longer in effect.”

The legal representative said the agency had failed to pay settlement earnings for activities conducted since July 2025, following payments made for the second quarter of that year.

“In addition, despite multiple requests from the artists to review basic documents, including contracts, to verify the transparency of settlements, the agency refused without justifiable reason,” Kim said. “This constitutes a failure to fulfill the fundamental obligations of a management company under the exclusive contract.”

The statement also alleged that One Hundred failed to properly support essential expenses related to the artists’ entertainment activities and had delayed payments to on-site staff for several months.

Despite the dispute, The Boyz said they would proceed with previously scheduled activities to avoid harming third parties, including business partners and collaborators. The group is set to hold a solo concert from April 24 to 26 at Kspo Dome in Seoul’s Olympic Park.

One Hundred, however, rejected the group’s claims later the same day, stating that it could not accept the request for contract termination.

“The contracts were signed on the premise that all 11 members would fulfill the agreed contract period as a single team, and substantial signing bonuses were paid accordingly,” the agency said in a statement on Thursday.

It added that this premise had been undermined by a series of controversies involving members last year, which led to a member leaving the group and made group activities difficult.

“Despite these challenges, the company has worked to maintain the group’s activities by persuading affected partners and absorbing significant financial losses,” the agency said.

The Boyz debuted in December 2017 as a 12-member group. After member Hwall left in 2019, the group continued as 11 members, before becoming a 10-member act following Ju Haknyeon’s departure in 2025 amid a personal controversy.

In November 2024, the group left IST Entertainment, the agency that originally formed them, and signed with One Hundred, a company established by rapper-producer MC Mong and PIA Group Chairman Cha Ga-won.

Separately, 815 Video, a production company, claimed Thursday that it had not received full payment for producing the music video for "Overdrop," a song by Xiumin under INB100, One Hundred’s subsidiary label.

The company said it had received only 16.5 million won ($10,994) in advance out of a total contract worth 82.46 million won.

“We have repeatedly requested payment after the due date and sought official confirmation from the company, but following the departure of the person in charge, we have yet to receive a clear response or a concrete payment schedule,” 815 Video said in a statement. “If the outstanding balance is not settled promptly, we will have no choice but to consider all necessary legal measures to protect our contractual rights.”