The 'Street Woman Fighter 3' champion team Osaka Ojo Gang has been engulfed in internal strife after conflicts arose over leader Ibuki and issues with their manager. The fallout, which began with a no-show at a performance, has spread to controversies over team trust and transparency in settlements.
Ojo Gang won the final victory with powerful performances on Mnet's World of Street Woman Fighter 3, which concluded in July. Centered on dancers from Osaka, Japan, they showcased original stages and chemistry that won great love from viewers. In particular, member Kyoka's personal popularity soared. However, after the win, conflicts during the nationwide tour cast a shadow over the shining achievements.
At Mnet's World of Street Woman Fighter 3 nationwide tour 'The Real Stage,' held June 6-7 at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul, Ojo Gang took the stage with only six members, excluding Ibuki. The members apologized to fans in tears, and later production company Root59 announced that "Ibuki reneged on the agreement and notified us of her absence."
That same night, Ibuki posted on her personal social media that "as an artist, I was forced into a one-sided contract without even a say," accusing the production company of abusive conduct. But the production company rebutted, saying "Ojo Gang's manager demanded conditions not shared with the members and blocked the specification of the performance fee contract," adding that "several rounds of negotiations failed."
On the 9th, members Ru, Hana, Kyoka, Junna, Minami and Uwa announced through the official account that "Ojo Gang is a seven-member team formed around leader Ibuki for WSWF (Street Woman Fighter 3). Although the members had been active individually, during the process of deciding the team manager, Ibuki's personal manager and someone who has worked with her for a long time became Ojo Gang's manager."
They appealed that "numerous problems occurred, such as the manager not paying performance fees or handling amounts opaquely. Even after the payment deadlines, salaries were not paid, and legitimate amounts were not presented, with no responses to members' inquiries."
They alleged, "During filming and after the broadcast ended there were many job offers for Ojo Gang and individual members, but most of them were concentrated with the manager, and we were not informed in advance about what work came in," and "Ibuki apologized to the six members and said she would dismiss the manager, but the promise was not kept."
But that statement was soon deleted. The members claimed via their individual accounts that "Kyoka, Minaki, Uwa, Junna, Hana and Ru became unable to log in to the Ojo Gang account," saying the official account login itself was blocked. This raised suspicions that the manager had intentionally deleted the posts.
Meanwhile, online speculation has spread that Ibuki and the manager have a personal relationship and rumors that a side contract was demanded to embezzle performance fees, but these have not been confirmed.
Ultimately, the conflict within Ojo Gang escalated beyond a simple performance absence to questions about team management, transparency in settlements and trust among members. Fans are watching closely to see whether Ibuki will offer further clarification or whether the team can mend the rift.
[Photo] SNS
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