Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Amidst the ongoing scandal involving former member Gaeun and the fan boycott that followed, 143 Entertainment has revealed in an official statement that Yeseo and Suhye have suspended their activities as members of MADEIN and that the group will continue as four.
At present, Yeseo and Suhye have suspended their activities as members of MADEIN. Accordingly, MADEIN will continue promotions as a four-member group consisting of Mashiro, MiU, Serina, and Nagomi for the time being.
Suhye’s future was in doubt many months ago when she went on hiatus for rather vague and concerning reasons, and it left Yeseo as the only Korean member remaining in the group as the company suspiciously ramped up Japanese activities while the controversy over Gaeun’s alleged sexual assault deepened in Korea.
The official statement goes on to say that the aforementioned sexual assault investigation into former CEO Lee Yong Hak is ongoing, though despite their official stance, fans found that he continued to be around the girls after supposedly leaving his position.
In addition, we are currently awaiting the results of the investigation related to the former CEO. We will fulfill our responsibilities in accordance with the findings, and we will also hold accountable to the very end any individuals who have caused significant harm to MADEIN.
Given that both 143’s initial and subsequent response to Gaeun’s allegations admit to, at minimum, highly inappropriate behavior by the ex-CEO — he also allegedly wrote an apology letter to Gaeun for his actions — one can only really hope at this point that the rest of the group can escape the company.
