On January 10, lawyer Yang Tae-jung of Gwangya Law Firm, representing PocketDol Studio, expressed regret over a statement released by UNCORE regarding alleged contractual violations by a specific agency. He stated: “JTBC Project 7 initially signed a contract allowing concurrent activities for our BAE173 group and participating trainees, but later changed its position after the final lineup was selected. We are deeply concerned and disheartened by this sudden change.“
UNCORE had previously stated that all contestants and their agencies were fully aware that, upon being selected for the final “Close Your Eyes” project team formation, they would not be permitted to engage in any external activities without prior approval from of UNCORE. They accused a specific agency of violating this agreement by promoting national and international events for their artists and insisting on simultaneous activities, causing harm to other members of the group.
PocketDol Studio’s answer
In response, PocketDol Studio refuted these claims, stating: “Our artists and trainees, including BAE173’s J-Min (Jeon Min-wook) and trainee Sakurada Kenshin, participated in Project 7 at the request of the production team. During this process, we signed a contract with the production team that explicitly allows for concurrent activities if selected for final training.
They further explained that the contract specified exceptions for previous agreements, stating:
• Artists must prioritize project team activities during the 36-month active period.
• If pre-existing arrangements for other activities were made known before the contract was signed, simultaneous scheduling could be arranged to avoid conflicts.
PocketDol Studio emphasized that these terms were clearly communicated and agreed upon by all parties, including the production team. They added: “We have shared all relevant schedules, including album releases and international tours for BAE173, with Project 7 team to coordinate activities. However, after the final lineup was selected, UNCORE sent out a new management contract that prohibited concurrent activities. Due to unresolved issues, we were unable to sign this new agreement, however our artists J-Min and Sakurada Kenshin were sent abroad to Project 7 promotional activities”.
Accusations of isolation of the artist
PocketDol Studio also accused UNCORE of blocking their access to the artists and hiding information about their whereabouts. “Despite repeated attempts to contact our artists, we have been ignored. This is especially concerning since Sakurada Kenshin is a minor and we acted as his guardian in Korea. We filed a missing report with the police on January 8 to ensure their safety,” they said.
According to the study, UNCORE initially deceived the police by claiming that the artists were with their parents. Only after confirmation from the parents did they admit that the artists were in the rehearsal room. PocketDol Studio condemned these actions as “trust-breaking behavior.”
Request for transparency and legal action
PocketDol Studio criticized Project 7 for encouraging participation with the promise of concurrent activities, only to revoke it after the final lineup was formed. “We question which agency is intentionally disrupting operations and will not hesitate to release contracts and email exchanges if this issue is not recognized. We strongly denounce the actions of Project 7 and UNCORE and will pursue all available legal measures,” they said.
