THE BOYZ has filed a criminal complaint against One Hundred CEO Cha Ga-won on suspicion of embezzlement, escalating their dispute with the agency. In the midst of this, member SUNWOO directly challenged the company’s claim that all payment was completed, fueling the controversy.
According to THE BOYZ’s legal representative on the 21st, the group recently filed a complaint against CEO Cha for alleged violations of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (embezzlement). Earlier in February, all members except NEW notified One Hundred of contract termination and filed for an injunction to suspend the contract’s validity.
THE BOYZ claims the agency failed to pay them for activities after July 2025 and did not comply with requests to provide records for reviewing the payment details.
One Hundred, however, issued a statement the same day saying it had already paid the members substantial signing bonuses and payments, and that future payment plans were clearly set. The agency added that it “sincerely supports and hopes for full-group activities by all 10 members of THE BOYZ.”
In response, SUNWOO posted a screenshot of an article quoting the agency’s statement on his social media and added a question mark and an “X” over the phrase “payment completed,” publicly disputing the claim. The agency’s stance and the members’ position are now in direct conflict.
Meanwhile, most artists under One Hundred and its affiliates are leaving the roster.
Key artists including Lee Seung-gi, VIVIZ, and Lee Moo-jin have moved to end or terminate their exclusive contracts. Beyond the embezzlement complaint, CEO Cha is also facing additional legal action over allegations that he received upfront payments for artist-led investment or partnership proposals but did not move the projects forward.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)