After signing a deal with what looked like a fresh start under Korean label ONE HUNDRED in late 2024, it seems like more of the same frustrations and breach of trust for ten-member group THE BOYZ. On March 18, Korean media reported that the boy group (excluding member New) filed to terminate their contract as of February 10, 2026, citing “failure to pay the artists’ proper settlement fees for all activities since July 2025, despite the group’s repeated requests to review and verify the transparency of settlements.”

The contract termination comes a little over a year since THE BOYZ terminated its previous contract with IST Entertainment and joined ONE HUNDRED in December 2024. Despite the latter agency’s initial optimism in signing the group and ensuring their rights as employees would be protected, according to THE BOYZ through their attorney, the label has failed to follow through on such agreements.

On March 19, The Korea Times reported that Attorney Kim Moon-hee stated that the alleged also withheld staff pay for months and failed to cover essential expenses for the group's activities, prompting the members to conclude they could "no longer continue under such conditions." This would essentially mean that THE BOYZ, who had embarked on a world tour last year, have been performing without pay for over six months – which is a significant claim

However, ONE HUNDRED denies such claims, responding with a statement to deny the members’ request for contract termination. “We signed contracts with all 11 members of THE BOYZ and paid a substantial signing bonus to each member under the premise that the entire group would fulfill their contract period as a single team,” the statement read. “However, that premise collapsed last year due to various controversies involving the members, which eventually led to one member leaving the group, and reached a point where normal group activities became difficult.”

The “controversy” the label refers to is former Ju Haknyeon, who – despite ONE HUNDRED’s misleading statement – was involuntarily removed from the group after reports that he had engaged in solicitation of prostitution, to which the singer denied. Therefore, the label’s agreement that all 11 members would fulfill their contract period already fell apart.

It’s even more likely to believe ONE HUNDRED hasn’t done its due diligence when SHINee’s Taemin also recently terminated his contract with BPM Entertainment (a subsidiary of ONE HUNDRED) for the same reason: unsettled payments.

Considering this isn’t THE BOYZ's first time dealing with companies that haven’t lived up to expectations, the debacle has taken a heavy toll on both the group and its fans – how many brick walls can they run into before it becomes too much?

In the same statement, Attorney Kim Moon-hee highlights the mental damage done due to these issues. “The psychological pain and pressure the Artists had to endure in an environment where even basic support was cut off were indescribable. Ultimately, they reached the judgment that they could no longer overlook or sustain this situation.”

With ONE HUNDRED flat out refusing to terminate THE BOYZ’s contract and the group’s adamant decision to leave, lawsuits could potentially come into play if the situation does not resolve amicably. Nonetheless, the group confirmed plans to resume working in its upcoming three-day concert at Seoul’s KSPO Dome from April 24 to 26. 

Whether those shows mark the beginning of a clean break or the opening move in a protracted legal dispute remains to be seen – but for a group that has spent the better part of two years navigating institutional failures, the stakes of getting it right this time are considerably higher.