KOR
As the Ministry of Employment and Labor launched a full-scale investigation and audit into unpaid wages at ONE HUNDRED and its affiliates, Big Planet Made Entertainment has belatedly begun the process of paying back overdue wages.
Previously, the Seoul Gangnam District Office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor initiated a comprehensive investigation and audit into unpaid wages targeting ONE HUNDRED and its affiliated companies. Following multiple complaints over unpaid wages, the Ministry of Labor is inspecting the payment status across the entire workplace, separate from handling individual cases.
On the night of June 10 at 9:00 PM, after news of the investigation broke, CEO Cha Ga-won sent a text message to employees expressing her apologies.
CEO Cha stated, "I am deeply sorry that the payment of wages you deserve has been delayed, and I bow my head in apology. I feel deeply ashamed for failing to keep even the most basic promise on time to those of you who trusted the company and worked hard alongside us." She continued, "The company has been working to understand and resolve the internal situation, and as a result, we intend to pay the outstanding wages," announcing the plan to settle the unpaid salaries.
On the same day, the law firm representing the company sent an informational notice to employees regarding the payment procedure for outstanding wages. The notice outlined that, in order to receive the unpaid wages, employees must submit a petition of non-punishment and complete a wage verification process. Specifically, the notice explained, "If you submit the electronic signature along with a copy of your ID, payments will be processed in the order of receipt. Submissions received on June 10 will be paid starting the morning of June 11, and subsequent submissions will be processed sequentially."
Mixed reactions emerged among employees regarding the company's request for a petition of non-punishment alongside the payment of overdue wages. While some expressed relief, albeit belated, others reportedly voiced frustration, questioning, "Does this mean they had the money all along but chose not to pay us?" Furthermore, because the current payment notices were reportedly sent primarily to general staff rather than executives, critics point out that the unpaid wage issue has not been fully resolved.
Meanwhile, the ONE HUNDRED label has been facing a wave of artist departures and contract disputes due to ongoing settlement payment issues that began last year.
TAEMIN notified the agency of his contract termination, citing settlement issues and a breakdown of trust, and subsequently moved to a new agency. BE'O also signed with another label after terminating his exclusive contract. VIVIZ recently won a complete victory in their injunction to suspend the validity of their exclusive contract against Big Planet Made Entertainment, while Lee Mujin is currently undergoing legal proceedings for an injunction to suspend his exclusive contract. Additionally, nine members of THE BOYZ, who were under ONE HUNDRED, have also parted ways with the agency after their injunction to suspend their exclusive contracts was granted.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)