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K-pop singers Ju Haknyeon, Yong Jun-hyung and MC Mong at center of mounting controversies
One Hundred Label, the parent company of several K-pop subsidiaries including Big Planet Made Entertainment, INB100 and Black Made, is facing a series of internal and public challenges involving key artists and executives.
Tensions escalated Saturday when Yong Jun-hyung, a solo artist under Black Made — a Big Planet Made subsidiary — claimed he was pressured by his agency to terminate his exclusive contract under unfair terms.
“On the day my album was released last year, I was suddenly called in and told the label was restructuring due to business expansion,” Yong said on his social media account. “They offered to cancel my contract without condition. When I expressed confusion, they changed course and suggested we continue working together.”
However, Black Made later demanded he leave the agency and repay funds allegedly invested by a distributor he had never agreed to work with, according to Yong.
“They calculated damages in the billions of won and told me to leave. When I asked for the contract to be honored, they cut off communication,” he added.
Black Made is a one-person agency launched by Yong in October 2022. The label is affiliated with Big Planet Made Entertainment, which was co-founded by singer-producer MC Mong and chairman Cha Ga-won, who also established One Hundred Label.
The company is also in a legal dispute with Ju Haknyeon of The Boyz, as One Hundred Label announced on June 16 that it had ended its exclusive contract with the singer.
The decision came after a photo circulated online showing Ju at a private gathering in Tokyo with former Japanese adult film actor Asuka Kirara. The company cited a breach of morals clause in Ju’s contract, stating the termination was legitimate.
On June 21, a Japanese media outlet reported that Ju drank with Asuka Kirara at a bar in Roppongi on May 29 and spent the night at her residence. Some media also raised speculation that Ju had solicited prostitution from Kirara, which Ju and the former actor have since directly denied.
Ju further denied any illegal activity and claimed he was unfairly removed from the group without his consent.
“I was expelled from the team simply for being seen in a private setting with a celebrity and was asked to pay 2 billion won ($1.45 million) in damages,” Ju said in a handwritten letter uploaded on his social media Friday.
According to One Hundred Label, Ju’s exclusive contract was valid from December 2024 to December 2027, but he only took part in activities for 190 days. The company is reportedly seeking repayment of 1.23 billion won in signing bonuses and 770 million won in penalties.
Ju has announced plans to take legal action, arguing the termination was unjust, while the agency maintains the decision was contractually sound. A court ruling is expected to determine whether the termination will be recognized as lawful.
The company’s leadership has also come under scrutiny following the abrupt removal of MC Mong from all management duties earlier in June.
One Hundred Label, on June 13, abruptly announced that MC Mong had stepped down from his role as chief producer due to “personal reasons,” without offering further explanation.
Speculation grew after Cha issued a formal apology on June 18, expressing regret over “concerns caused by issues involving artists and company members.” Although no names were mentioned, the statement fueled rumors that MC Mong was at the center of the troubles.
Ju’s handwritten letter posted the following day suggested a third party had been present at the controversial gathering in Tokyo, leading to increased public attention on MC Mong.
MC Mong has since cleared his social media feed.
One Hundred Label is home to the boy band The Boyz, while its subsidiary Big Planet Made Entertainment houses artists including Taemin of SHINee, Lee Mu-jin, Viviz and Lee Seung-gi. Another affiliate label, INB100, manages EXO members Baekhyun, Chen and Xiumin.
