One of the biggest legal stories in K-pop right now involves The Boyz, and the situation just took a major turn.
A Seoul court has granted an injunction effectively suspending the group’s exclusive contracts with their agency, One Hundred Label—a decision that, at least for now, puts the members in a stronger legal position.
Nine members filed the injunction, arguing they had not received settlement payments since July 2025. And the court didn’t just acknowledge that claim—it backed it up with multiple findings.
According to the ruling, the agency failed in several core obligations:
- No proper settlement payments
- Lack of transparent accounting data
- Gaps in management support and artist protection
On top of that, the court recognized something that often becomes the turning point in idol contract cases – a complete breakdown of trust between artist and agency.
The agency had argued that the signing bonuses paid to the members could offset future settlement payments.
The court rejected that outright.
It clarified that signing bonuses and profit settlements are legally separate, and one cannot replace the other unless explicitly agreed upon—which, in this case, it wasn’t.
This Isn’t Just A Payment Dispute.
It goes to the structure of how idol contracts function—especially around cash flow versus accounting transparency.
An agency can’t just point to upfront money and call it a day. If revenue is being generated, artists are entitled to see the numbers and receive their share accordingly.
That’s the principle the court reinforced here.
But The Case Is Not Over
Despite headlines suggesting a “win,” the agency is pushing back hard.
One Hundred Label is calling the injunction a temporary measure, not a final decision.
They’ve already announced plans to file an objection, arguing:
- The case was reviewed under expedited conditions
- Key evidence wasn’t fully considered
- And the claim of unpaid settlements is still “distorted”
They also emphasized that they paid ₩16.5 billion (around $11 million) in upfront contract fees, and deny any financial instability.
So legally speaking, this is round one—not the final verdict.
The full trial will ultimately decide whether the contract termination is valid.
What The Members Are Doing
In the middle of all this, The Boyz are continuing with scheduled activities.
Their “Inter-zection” concert at KSPO Dome is still happening, with the members explicitly saying they want to honor commitments to fans and avoid impacting third parties.
That detail matters—it signals they’re being careful not to escalate the situation publicly while the legal process plays out.
The Bigger Picture
This case isn’t happening in isolation.
The same label group has already seen multiple high-profile exits:
- EXO members Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen
- Taemin
- VIVIZ
All citing similar issues around contract obligations and settlement structures.
When you start seeing the same complaint across multiple artists, it stops looking like an isolated dispute and starts raising questions about systemic management practices.
Right now, the court has sent a clear early signal that contract obligations—especially financial transparency—are not optional.
But until the full trial happens, the final outcome is still open.
What’s certain is this:
This case is going to be closely watched across the industry, because whatever comes out of it could influence how future idol contracts are negotiated—and challenged.
