Yu Jun Won has disputed the claims made by PocketDol Studios about the reason of his departure from the upcoming rookie group Fantasy Boys. He said the agency lied about certain matters in their statement.
On Wednesday, August 23, PocketDol Studios announced that Fantasy Boys will debut as an 11-member group without Jun Won.
According to the agency, Jun Won had an “unauthorized departure.” Allegedly, the idol’s parents also requested to modify the contract several times.
Yu Ju Won’s side
However, hours after the news broke, Jun Won took to his Instagram to air his sentiment. Aside from his statement, the idol also shared a portion of his contract to refute the agency’s allegations.
First, he apologized to the fans who are affected by the matter, emphasizing that those being reported are “far from the truth.”
— 파룬 (@balloon_wanted) August 23, 2023
Next, Jun Won opened up about how much he dreamt of becoming an idol. He added that despite all the difficulties, he still pushed through to make the dream a reality.
“I did my best every moment, and never acted in a shameful way in front of the fans,” he said. Which is why it pains him to have his idol dreams cut short just when he was about to reach it.
[💬] TRANSLATION OF JUNWON'S LETTER
🔗: https://t.co/Hn0ZeWZPME#유준원 #YUJUNWON #준원 #ユジュンウォン#FANTASYBOYS #판타지보이즈 pic.twitter.com/TTBvAUSL9s
— JUNWON GLOBAL (@JUNWONGLOBAL_) August 23, 2023
“But it is such a pity and it hurts me so much that I am unable to make my dream debut, despite it being right in front of my eyes,” he wrote.
Jun Won then went on to address the claims by PocketDol Studios. He explained that he requested to edit some unfavorable clauses in the contract.
However, the company allegedly refused his calls for reasonable conditions. Instead, he said that they attempted to force an agreement after adding more ridiculous demands.
[💬] TRANSLATION OF JUNWON'S LETTER
🔗: https://t.co/Hn0ZeWZPME#유준원 #YUJUNWON #준원 #ユジュンウォン#FANTASYBOYS #판타지보이즈 pic.twitter.com/TTBvAUSL9s
— JUNWON GLOBAL (@JUNWONGLOBAL_) August 23, 2023
Because of this, Jun Won reasoned out that he has lost trust with the company. It then led to him deciding not to continue his relationship with PocketDol Studios.
Additionally, the artist said that he has records of his calls, emails, and discussions with the company. He also hinted that he’s not afraid to use them as evidence.
PocketDol Studios’ side
Following Jun Won’s personal statement, PocketDol Studios and Funky Studios responded to the idol’s remarks.
The company insisted that Jun Won’s mother demanded that she be consulted on all matters about her son’s contract.
Aside from that, the agency claimed that the mother also complained about the idol’s styling, as well as positioning in the group.
Moreover, Pocketdol Studios also argued that the clause in their contract about the split between management and artists is “the norm” in the entertainment industry.
In the adjunction agreement posted by Jun Won, it shows a clause that states that if an album released by the artist surpass 500,000 copies in sales within a three month period, they will be relieved of their responsibility toward all fixed cost coverage until the expiration of their exclusive contract.
The agency asserted that this isn’t a “legal violation.”
With the contradicting statements, it’s unsurprising that the fans are worried about the situation. Several are lobbying for Jun Won’s side while many are also wary of how this will affect FANTASY BOYS.
Nevertheless, many are praising Jun Won for standing up for his rights. Especially that in the statement, he also called for companies to treat their artists better and the practice of unfair contracts to be fixed.
Despite no longer pushing through with the group, Jun Won also asked fans to continue their support for the 11 members of Fantasy Boys.
FANTASY BOYS will be making their debut as 11 members on September 21st
Recently, Yu Junwon has left both the group and agencyhttps://t.co/WK16XmVuhd
— 파룬 (@balloon_wanted) August 23, 2023
In the meantime, the 11-act piece is set to debut in September.
Featured image: Yu Jun Won during the group’s Welcome to Your Fantasy show. Credit: Twitter/Fantasy Boys