Following a controversial meeting abroad.
On Wednesday, June 18, music management label ONE HUNDRED announced the departure of Korean pop idol Ju Haknyeon from the company and his group, THE BOYZ.
The move came after various news outlets reported a meeting between the star and former Japanese adult video actress Asuka Kirara in Tokyo last May.
The said incident caused the suspension of his activities, which the company said was used as a period to verify the information.
“As soon as we were informed of issues involving Ju Haknyeon’s private life, our company immediately suspended his activities and took time to thoroughly verify the facts,” ONE HUNDRED wrote in its statement, as translated by entertainment website Soompi.
The label continued, “As a result, we have come to recognize the seriousness of this issue and have clearly determined that it is no longer possible for us to maintain the trust in him as an artist.”
ONE HUNDRED further shared that the decision to remove Ju Haknyeon from the team came after discussions with him and his fellow members, which also resulted to the termination of his exclusive contract with the agency.
“We ask for your deep understanding as this decision was an unavoidable measure to protect the members and the team. We would like to inform you that, as of today, Ju Haknyeon will cease all activities as a member of THE BOYZ.”
The company also vowed that will express its utmost support to the 10 remaining members of THE BOYZ and apologized to fans over the sad news.
THE BOYZ debuted in 2017, originally as a 12-member group under what would eventually become IST Entertainment.
In their early years, they released songs like ‘Boy,’ ‘No Air,’ ‘Bloom Bloom,’ ‘DDD,’ before later reorganizing as an 11-piece band following the departure of Hwall.
Since then, they have dropped singles ‘The Stealer,’ ‘Maverick,’ ‘Thrill Ride,’ ‘Whisper,’ ‘Roar,’ ‘Lip Gloss,’ and ‘Watch It.’
After seven years, the group left their former agency and moved to ONE HUNDRED in December 2024.