On December 27th, JTBCthe survival show, PROJECT 7aired its final episode, revealing the top trainees.
The first seven finalists who made it to the group — Jinxiang, Kenshin, Minwook, Kyoungbae, Seung Ho, YeojunAND Sungmin — will be active for two and a half years and will promote under this name Close your eyes (CTE).
Although the group has not yet debuted, conflicts between agencies have already been reported.
On January 9th the group’s agency, NOT COREreleased a statement that an agency had committed a breach of contract by attempting to schedule the group activities of an already debuted idol without prior approval. They did not name a specific label but promised that continued action would lead to legal action.
UNCORE statement and request pic.twitter.com/oDlgLomUZ2
— CLOSE YOUR EYES (@closeyoureyes_7) January 10, 2025
“All participants and their agencies PROJECT 7 they were fully aware that, when signing the participation contract, they would not be allowed to carry out activities outside the project team without the prior approval of UNCORE, in case they were selected as final members of the project team.
However, one specific agency has attempted to organize national and international events that go against the terms of the participation contract after its signature. Furthermore, the agency unilaterally claimed that its artists would engage in activities with a separate group alongside the CLOSE YOUR EYES project group, causing significant harm not only to the corresponding artists but also to other members.
Most worryingly, this agency pressured artists to participate in conflicting activities, without properly informing them or obtaining prior consent, until shortly before the scheduled dates. This includes imposing liability for non-compliance, which is highly concerning. UNCORE is preparing to debut CLOSE YOUR EYES in collaboration with the artists, with the full consent of both the artists and their families, ensuring their safety.
PROJECT 7 aims to grow a project group completely assembled by fans into a global idol group with their sincere support. To achieve this goal, considerable investment and effort has been made by numerous staff members.
Being an audition program, it is a promise made to the public, so it should be conducted fairly. PROJECT 7 has strived to establish a fair and reasonable hearing culture at all stages.
UNCORE will not overlook the selfish actions of the specific agency that undermine the hard work of the WORLD ASSEMBLERS, participants, casts and production staff who supported PROJECT 7. UNCORE strictly warns that the agency’s intentional interference with CLOSE YOUR EYES activities constitutes a breach of contract, unfair competition and illegal actions and we will take all necessary legal measures.
UNCORE is committed to supporting the activities of CLOSE YOUR EYES, upholding the spirit of PROJECT 7our promise to the world’s assemblers and creating a right hearing culture. We will ensure that the artists focus exclusively on the main activities for the promised period without engaging in any concurrent activities.
UNCORE has not granted any performance rights to CLOSE YOUR EYES, MD or related commercial rights to any third party. We encourage you to be alert to any individual who may falsely claim that they have rights in CLOSE YOUR EYES and are entering into contracts that may cause harm.
— NOT CORE
The unnamed agency has since been revealed to be PocketDol Studioheadquarters of the CYE members Kenshin Sakurada AND BAE173‘S J-Min (Jeon Minwook.)
In a statement released by PocketDol, a legal representative addressed the initial claims while raising new ones against UNCORE. The statement claims that it was initially agreed that simultaneous activities were possible, but that UNCORE has changed its position.
PocketDol claims that the contract following the group’s selection was not signed as the new terms had to be negotiated, but that the two idols were still present at overseas programs with CYE.
We express our regret at UNCORE’s statement announcing legal action against a specific agency for alleged breaches of contract. The JTBC Auditions Program PROJECT 7 they signed a preliminary agreement allowing simultaneous activities for BAE173, which had been with us for five years. However, after the selection of the final members, they unilaterally changed their position, which we find deeply worrying and disappointing.
UNCORE states that all participants and their agencies were aware that selected members could not participate in external activities without Uncore’s prior approval. They allege that a specific agency promoted national and international activities in violation of the contract and required simultaneous activities, harming both the selected artists and other members.
These statements are not true. At the request of the production team, we allowed BAE173 and our apprentice to participate in PROJECT 7, resulting in J-Min and Kenshin being selected for the debut group. During the process, we signed a participation agreement specifying that concurrent activities would be allowed under certain conditions. This agreement explicitly states that existing contracts disclosed at the time of signing would constitute exceptions.
The agreement also stipulates that during the 36-month activity period, the artists must give priority to the project’s activities. However, existing agreements made public before the management contract takes effect would take precedence and scheduling conflicts would need to be coordinated in advance.
Both the artists and the production team were fully aware of this agreement. As a result, we shared contracts for the BAE173 album release and overseas tours with the production team to coordinate the schedules. However, after the final group was selected, the production team sent out a management contract stating that no more concurrent activities would be allowed. Due to the many unresolved issues we were unable to sign this contract.
— Attorney Yang Tae Jung representing PocketDol
The PocketDols were also prevented from communicating with Kenshin Sakurada and J-Min and were not informed of their housing details. For this reason, and the fact that the agency is Kenshin Sakurada’s legal guardian since he is a minor, a missing person’s report was filed on January 8.
The statement concluded with PocketDol’s promise to release communications and contracts if the problems were not resolved.
Additionally, UNCORE hindered our communication with J-Min and Kenshin and refused to provide information on their housing. Despite our repeated requests for contact, they ignored us. Of particular concern is the fact that Kenshin, a minor, is under our care in Korea. This prompted us to file a missing person report on January 8 to ensure their safety.
UNCORE then misled the police by claiming that the two were with their parents. When the police verified this with the parents, UNCORE admitted that the two were in the practice studio. Such actions have seriously undermined trust.
UNCORE said it will not tolerate “selfish actions by a specific agency” and intends to take legal action over alleged breaches of contract and unfair competition. However, it was PROJECT 7 who initially encouraged participation by allowing simultaneous activities, only to change their position after the debut group formed. We wonder which agency is truly engaged in intentional obstruction and unfair practices.
If these issues are not recognized, we stand ready to release contracts and email exchanges. We strongly condemn JTBC’s actions PROJECT 7 and will pursue all necessary legal measures.
— Attorney Yang Tae Jung representing PocketDol
CYE is expected to debut in spring 2025.
