Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Alright, hello again, and man there was a lot that went down after Ju Haknyeon left THE BOYZ and ONE HUNDRED following reports of having being spotted with JAV star Asuka Kirara.
Unfortunately, things indeed did get more serious, as Haknyeon reportedly participated hired her for sex.
Following the news of his departure from THE BOYZ, 10Asia reported later in the day that according to multiple industry sources, Ju Haknyeon had paid for sex with Asuka Kirara. The report also quoted a source as saying, “Not only Ju Haknyeon but also a producer from ONE HUNDRED is said to have been removed from his duties due to the issue of prostitution.”
That producer is suspected to be MC Mong, as his leaving the company lines up perfectly with the timeline and was pretty confusing when it was announced previously.
But those allegations were directly shot down by both Haknyeon and Kirara. Haknyeon addressed it in a handwritten letter…
In the wee hours of the morning of May 30, 2025, I attended a private gathering with alcohol together with an acquaintance, and while it is true that I was at that gathering, it is completely false that I engaged in any illegal activity, such as the prostitution that is being mentioned in news reports and rumors. I am deeply reflecting on my actions, and I would like to sincerely apologize to everyone who was shocked by this [matter].
…and Kirara denied it on Twitter.
There are a lot of speculations going around, but the Shūkan Bunshun article hasn’t come out yet. Please don’t spread false information. I have never once in my life engaged in paid sex acts (prostitution) in private. Of course, this time too. A woman who was there for the first time seemed to like Haknyeon, so she had her photo taken and sold to Bunshun.
Unsurprisingly, that didn’t stop the reports and speculation, so Haknyeon posted another statement, which not only pushed back against the prostitution reports but also accused his company ONE HUNDRED of unilaterally terminating his contract and kicking him out of THE BOYZ. That is important because it comes with a hefty termination fee.
Although I have already made it clear that I have not engaged in any illegal activities, certain reporters and media outlets continue to publish malicious articles. In response, I will pursue all possible civil and criminal legal action.
If there is any evidence that I engaged in prostitution, I urge that it be made public immediately.
Furthermore, I have never withdrawn from the group, nor have I ever consented to the termination of my exclusive contract.
Despite there being no valid reason for contract termination as outlined in my contract, my agency is attempting to fabricate such grounds.
Some media outlets are also defaming me by bringing up prostitution without any evidence.
The agency demanded that I pay over 2 billion won (approximately USD 1.46 million) in compensation and leave the company, but I never accepted these demands.
Nevertheless, the agency informed the press that my contract termination had been finalized.
This is a blatant falsehood.
I must ask: is it truly the role of an agency, which is supposed to protect its artist, to unilaterally expel me from the team simply because I happened to be at a private gathering with a well-known person, and to pressure me into contract termination while threatening over 2 billion won in damages?
When I refused to accept contract termination, the agency sent me a notice claiming the contract had been terminated due to my wrongdoing—ignoring the proper procedures outlined in the contract—and even issued warnings regarding compensation claims.
To be honest, I am very frightened.
But I realized that if I give in here, this society may become a place where people without power can be destroyed over things they did not do.
Until now, I have remained silent, believing that the truth would come to light.
But I can no longer stay silent in the face of attempts to ruin someone’s life over false accusations.
I intend to hold accountable both the agency, which unfairly expelled me from the team and is making baseless claims about contract termination, and the media outlets that have caused harm by mentioning prostitution without any verified facts.
No matter what happens, I am determined to see this through to the end to uncover the truth.
I’m speaking out in the hope that this fight can be a small source of hope for someone out there.
In addition to his legal action, a citizen filed a legal complaint against him for the prostitution, so police are now investigating that.
For their part, ONE HUNDRED responded back with a statement, calling his claims false and also threatening legal action.
We express deep regret over Ju Haknyeon’s unilateral false claims.
We initially decided to suspend Ju Haknyeon’s activities after recognizing that the matter at hand could cause significant harm to the group’s activities. After we thoroughly reviewed the situation, we made him fully aware that the incident constituted grounds for contract termination under Article 6, Clause 3 of his exclusive contract, which refers to “conduct that damages the dignity of an artist to the extent that it interferes with entertainment activities.” We then made the decision accordingly.
We affirm that the termination of Ju Haknyeon’s exclusive contract was carried out in accordance with the contract’s terms and was a fair and justified action.
At the core of this matter is Ju Haknyeon’s avoidance of responsibility and repeated distorted claims. Should he persist in making such claims, we will pursue all necessary legal action to protect our company and artists from harm, including submitting relevant evidence and documentation to the appropriate legal authorities.
Following this statement, we will not issue further responses regarding Ju Haknyeon’s false assertions.
Yeah, so their statement is a lot more vague than his. Likely because either way the prostitution claim turns out, they’re gonna use him meeting with a JAV star as grounds for termination and to collect their termination fee.
In his most recent statement following further reports showing him backhugging Kirara, he alludes to the speed at which the events transpired and thinks there’s something fishy at play, like his agency just wanted to use this as an excuse to collect a termination fee.
Before the agency received an inquiry from Shūkan Bunshun, I was the first to hear that photos had been taken. I immediately explained the situation truthfully to the company and asked for their help. I acknowledge the part where I was in the wrong and tried to make choices that would minimize the damage to the other members. I spent many sleepless nights filled with guilt toward the fans who supported me and the teammates I shared everything with. It was incredibly painful. As a result, I halted all activities and discussed follow-up measures with the company.
However, the agency suddenly sent over a termination agreement and an agreement statement that asked I pay over ₩2.00 billion KRW (about $1.46 million USD). They also asked for a massive penalty amount that is not even claimable under the terms of our contract. They stated there was no room for negotiation.
Unable to accept such an unreasonable demand, I refused to sign the termination agreement on June 17, 2025. The very next day, the agency abruptly released an official statement announcing my departure from the group. This was before any Shūkan Bunshun article had been published. Immediately after, reports started appearing about me meeting an AV actress, and then a shocking exclusive from TenAsia accused me of prostitution. Based on that report, I was instantly branded a sex offender by other media, bloggers, and YouTubers.
The next day, someone even filed a police report against me for prostitution based on that false article. The speed and sequence of these events felt too coordinated—it was as if someone was fabricating a reason for my contract termination. I became terrified that if I remained silent, I would be branded a sex offender for the rest of my life. All of this unfolded within just two days.
I mean … it wouldn’t surprise me.
——
Now in terms of his contract, it may not matter whether he engaged in prostitution or not, but in terms of the seriousness and sense of the move to the general public, it likely matters quite a bit.
Of course, I get why it’s a more serious issue if prostitution is involved, since regardless of how one feels about the act itself, the fact remains that it’s still criminalized in both countries and is going to be seen as a blight on an idol’s record. As such, though, any denial of that by both sides also just makes legal sense for now since the alternative is admitting to a crime.
On the other hand, it’s also not exactly that hard to see a scenario where they just met up and maybe had sex, and people just assumed the worst because they always do when it comes to sex workers or former sex workers. Is it unreasonable? No, a lot of former JAV stars do “escorting” and what not, but given her past involvement with other idols that didn’t have any hint of prostitution attached to it, I can’t say it’s all that irrational to think these men are fans and she enjoys boning them.
As an idol, this was never going to be seen favorably, but much like dating or whatever else, that’s for him and his fans to hash out. For a neutral, this ranges from “everything the company did was justifiable” to “it sure seems like his company is using him hugging a woman to execute a slander campaign against him so they can extort millions from him” depending on the truth of the matter behind Haknyeon and Kirara hooking up.
