Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
One of the news items I missed while I was on hiatus late last year was six members of FANTASY BOYS filing for contract suspension, and BAE173 member Doha asking for the same as well. Recently, it was revealed that the court has ruled in favor of the seven individuals against PocketDol Studio.
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Retreating for a bit to November 2025, that was when Doha filed a lawsuit to suspend his contract with the company. The reasons cited were issues with payments, the agency’s deteriorating financial situation, unilateral suspension of activities, and a breakdown of trust.
According to the complaint, PocketDol Studio “violated the obligation to provide statements documenting payments,” “violated the obligation to provide supporting documents for income and expenditure details,” and “falsely recorded expense items as if they were incurred when they were not.”
Doha also claimed that the agency unilaterally suspended his activities, with an agency representative telling him, “Then you’re out,” at a meeting on September 15. On September 23, a notice notifying fans that he is “halting activities due to health reasons” was posted without his knowledge.
In addition, Doha pointed out the company’s accumulating debt and financial problems.
A couple weeks later, Kang Minseo, Lee Hanbin, Hikaru, Hong Sungmin, Kim Gyurae, and Kaedan of the FANTASY BOYS filed a lawsuit to suspend their contracts with PocketDol as well. Once again, the reasons cited include issues with payments, the agency’s financial and operational problems, and a breakdown of trust due to non-fulfillment of contractual obligations.
The six members reportedly mentioned in the complaint that PocketDol Studio violated the obligation to provide statements documenting payments and included items that were not actually executed or some expenses that were not actually paid in the settlement statements. In addition, although the contracts stipulated that high labor costs would be deducted every quarter, most of the employees in question either did not actually exist or their activities could not be verified. It was also mentioned that the extension of residency status for the non-Korean members was not carried out on time, causing restrictions on their activities.
Aside from this, Kang Minseo revealed through a fan messaging platform earlier in the month that the electricity was cut off in their dorm due to the electricity bills not being paid.
At this point, it didn’t exactly take a genius to point out the trend with the company, and that it certainly didn’t look like things were rosy over there.
Fast forward to today, and that perception was confirmed when it was reported that the courts ruled in favor of the seven idols.
On April 16, the court ruled to grant the injunctions to suspend the exclusive contracts of the six FANTASY BOYS members. While the court acknowledged that the agency had provided statements regarding payment for the first and second quarters of 2025, it identified the lack of specificity in income details and the failure to attach supporting documents as the primary causes for the breakdown of trust.
It was additionally revealed on April 21 that the court also granted the injunction filed by Doha against PocketDol Studio.
They will be appealing, of course.
Following the court ruling, FANTASY BOYS’ agencies PocketDol Studio and Phunky Studio announced their intention to immediately appeal the decision, stating, “The practical realities of entertainment management and the contract fulfillment process were not sufficiently considered,” and added that the judgment “focused only on certain procedural requirements.”
Regardless of what they say, this can’t come as much of a surprise at this point.
Aside from the litany of mess at the company under their previous brands (Core Contents Media/MBK Entertainment), they lost a lawsuit to video production company 815 Video over lack of payment for work on FANTASY BOYS’ ““Pitter-Patter-Love” back in July of last year and the company had to go to the media to explain the company still hadn’t paid up. Thus, the truth being that they likely violated the contracts with non-payment makes all the sense in the world.
Hell, dating all the way back in June 2023, Dohyon from BAE173 also won his contract suspension lawsuit reportedly due to the company not fulfilling the obligations of the contract. It also brings to mind the still ongoing lawsuit of prospective FANTASY BOYS center Yu Jun Won, and no matter how you feel about that, it becomes increasingly difficult to blame him for trying to get away from the company by any means necessary*.
*Not that I ever did, it’s Kim Kwang Soo, after all.
