While Cha Ga-won & MC Mong Claim Innocence on 'PD Note,' Small Businesses Suffer Even More Desperately than Celebrities

Following the broadcast of MBC's 'PD Note,' ONE HUNDRED Chairperson Cha Ga-won and MC Mong have repeatedly claimed they are being treated unfairly. However, public attention is also shifting toward the severe financial damage suffered by small subcontracting companies highlighted in the episode.

The episode of MBC's 'PD Note' titled "MC Mong and the Chairperson's K-Pop Business Secrets," which aired on June 2, focused heavily on allegations of unpaid settlements surrounding ONE HUNDRED and its subsidiaries. In particular, the broadcast shed light on the real-world damages experienced not only by the agency's artists but also by small-scale subcontractors on production sites.

A director of photography who participated in producing self-produced content for THE BOYZ lamented, "The exact unpaid amount is about 34 million KRW." He added, "I have to cover my children's education, utility bills, office operating costs, and employee wages, but without this large sum coming in, everything essentially becomes debt." He further pleaded that his livelihood is being threatened due to the unpaid fees, saying, "I had to sell my equipment, and even my equipment vehicle has been seized."

A representative from a music video production company also stated, "It was a project involving 50 to 60 people, and the unpaid amount for that project alone is about 68 million KRW. We have completely lost contact with the representative from the entertainment agency." He expressed doubt, saying, "I wonder if we will ever receive this money and if we can pay our staff properly." Staff members also voiced their frustration, saying, "Even when we went to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, we were only told to wait because there are too many related cases."

'PD Note' reported that printing companies involved in album production have also suffered damages worth billions of KRW, and hundreds of subcontracting companies have not received payments for months.

Previously, it was revealed that almost all artists under the agency, including THE BOYZ, Lee Mu-jin, Baekhyun, Lee Seung-gi, and VIVIZ, have not been able to review their accounting records from the agency, and unpaid settlements have continued. Although advance payments related to their concerts and appearances amount to tens of billions of KRW, Chairperson Cha Ga-won's side currently claims that the situation is merely a deterioration of management caused by "owner risk" stemming from media reports.

MC Mong also claimed during a TikTok Live the day after the 'PD Note' broadcast, "The unpaid settlements for the celebrities occurred after I left the company, and the allegations that I engaged in overseas gambling in Las Vegas are also not true."

However, according to messages Chairperson Cha Ga-won sent to his uncle (referred to as 'A'), there are not only circumstances pointing to overseas gambling, but he also owes debts in the tens of billions of KRW. Furthermore, allegations of lax management across the agency have been raised, with MC Mong reportedly receiving gifts from Chairperson Cha, including a watch worth over 5 billion KRW and several luxury foreign cars worth hundreds of millions of KRW.

Chairperson Cha Ga-won denies the allegations of misappropriation of investment funds and unpaid settlements raised in the broadcast, stating, "I have never used advance payments or other funds for purposes other than production costs."

Amid this, THE BOYZ member YOUNGHOON left a message on a fan communication platform on June 3, saying, "I was watching TV today and saw something interesting. I'm glad more people are becoming aware of it. I hope everything gets resolved well for all the victims."
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)