Ibuki, the leader of OSAKA Ojo Gang who did not attend the 'Street Woman Fighter 3' concert, claimed the production company's unilateral decision, while the Ojo Gang members excluding Ibuki raised their hands in support of the production company.
On the 9th, Root59, the production company of the 'World of Street Woman Fighter' concert, released an official statement reflecting the opinions of the Osaka Ojo Gang members and fully refuted Ibuki's allegations of abuse of power.
Earlier, over two days on the 6th and 7th at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium, Mnet's 'World of Street Woman Fighter' (hereafter 'Street Woman Fighter 3') nationwide tour 'THE REAL STAGE' Seoul performance was held. Ahead of the performance, rumors spread that OSAKA Ojo Gang, the winner of 'Street Woman Fighter 3,' would not participate, but at the concert all members except leader Ibuki attended and performed. The members shed tears as they offered apologies and greetings to fans
On the afternoon of the 8th, the production company announced on the ticket reservation page that Ibuki would not attend the Busan performance scheduled for the 13th. That night, Ibuki posted a statement on her account saying, "During the concert organizer's proposal process, I was demanded to sign a contract in a situation where I had no right to speak as an artist, and actions were taken that could cause discord with the members, so I was discussing future concerts through a Korean lawyer. However, the concert side has now unilaterally released information without formal consultation that 'I will not participate in the Busan concert,'" accusing the production company of abuse of power. The accusation was that the production company announced her absence from the Busan performance unilaterally without consulting the person involved.
When Marlee, a Motive member who appeared on 'Street Woman Fighter 3,' posted a message supporting Ibuki, criticism of the concert production company grew, and on the 9th the production company issued an official statement saying, "We have spent months doing our best to negotiate to secure Ojo Gang's concert appearance. However, during contract negotiations communication with Ojo Gang's manager was not smooth, and there were multiple disruptions to scheduling and contract progress. Also, during negotiations the manager demanded separate nontransparent conditions that were not shared with the members, and strongly requested that the production staff and the members' contract omit mention of appearance fees," they rebutted.
The production company said it could not accept unfair conditions because situations could arise in which the members would not transparently know their rightful appearance fees. It added, "We continued coordinating directly with the crew members to reach an agreement for Ibuki and Ojo Gang members to participate, and on Aug. 26 there was a tentative agreement that all members would participate. At that time, Ibuki also said she would keep controversies related to the manager private but would participate in the performance. The agreement included resolving several internal issues and apologies to the members."
However, on Sept. 1, as other members entered the country as scheduled to practice, Ibuki did not use the flight arranged by the production team, and communication remained poor. Furthermore, through a lawyer she informed that she would not honor the previous agreement and signaled absence due to health reasons. After there was still no contact, the production company ultimately announced Ibuki's absence from the Busan concert around 5 p.m. on the 8th, and the company claims Ibuki only sent a message through her lawyer at 8 p.m. saying she wanted to participate in the concert.
The production company said, "It is not true that we unilaterally announced her absence," and added, "Ibuki's conditions for participating in the concert would invalidate the previous agreement and reestablish a contract with the manager. Those conditions were unacceptable to the other six members. Although we had kept records related to these circumstances, we did not disclose them out of respect for Ibuki. However, the Ojo Gang members excluding Ibuki are faithfully continuing practice and preparation to keep their promise to fans," the company emphasized.
In an additional statement the production company said, "Ojo Gang members also say they were mentally strained until just before the performance because they had not received work details or schedules (from the manager) and lost trust," and "the six members had to learn of the absence through a lawyer rather than a colleague," conveying the differences in positions between Ibuki and the Ojo Gang members. The members said communication with the manager had already broken down and trust was lost, and that they were told of Ibuki's absence unilaterally through a lawyer without prior discussion.
Moreover, online posts speculated that Ibuki's actions were because she was in a romantic relationship with the manager and that the two demanded a side agreement to siphon off members' concert fees, and when the production company refused, this situation arose. As Ojo Gang members added weight to the production company's claims, attention turns to whether Ibuki will issue an additional statement to rebut them.
[Photo] SNS
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