Brown Eyed Soul (hereafter Broasol) former member Seonghun ignited controversy by exposing the full story of his departure from the group, and Broasol's side directly issued a statement refuting Seonghun's claims. After seeing this, Seonghun again posted a statement, turning the matter into a back-and-forth exposé.
The start was Seonghun's social media exposé. On the 7th, Seonghun posted a lengthy message on his personal account and opened up about the reasons he left the team in 2023.
He said, "I did not decide to leave. In 2022 I was waiting to record a Broasol album. But Naul hyung said his throat was bad and he didn't know when his voice would return, so I just prayed and waited. Since I couldn't wait indefinitely, I decided to release a second album, and in the meantime I saw Naul hyung appear on 'Hangout with Yoo' and felt relieved."
Seonghun said, "But one morning I woke up and learned online that Naul hyung's voice had already returned and that Naul hyung's solo project had been planned. I think it was first revealed on a podcast, and it came as a huge shock to me, who until the day before had been praying for Naul hyung's voice to come back."
He continued, "Do you call this a 'trigger'? The sorrow and anger I'd held in for 20 years began to explode. What kept me holding on during that time was the YouTube channel. Even if the views were few, I was so happy. But the boss stopped me from doing YouTube anymore. He even said if I wanted to continue I should kneel and beg Naul hyung."
Seonghun said, "Boss Lee Sugeun suddenly came to my house, handed me a withdrawal contract and told me to blindly stamp it. At that moment everything went dark for me. I said I would think about it and sent it back. The next day, after much deliberation, we agreed on the condition of not doing 'clean media play' against each other," and explained why he wrote, "Then you should have removed my voice from the fifth album. Isn't that common courtesy?"
As the controversy erupted, Broasol's agency Longplay Music also refuted the exposé the same day through an official statement. The agency began by saying, "Many of the statements former member Seonghun posted on his personal social media are different from the facts. We heard that during COVID and after a member's health issues, Seonghun experienced psychological difficulties and instability and received professional counseling and treatment while continuing activities."
The agency said, "During this period he continued inappropriate words and actions, such as sending personally attacking messages to other members and their families, so the company, concerned about this, repeatedly recommended treatment and rest. Nevertheless, the company respected Seonghun's will to pursue music and did its best to support his recovery by actively backing personal activities such as producing a solo album and shooting YouTube content."
The agency added, "However, after a year passed without changes we judged it unsustainable, and after consultation with Seonghun we ultimately decided to terminate the exclusive contract and have him leave the team. We had originally decided not to respond to the media or issue further statements on this matter, but as inaccurate content has spread and unnecessary misunderstandings have grown, we reluctantly issued this official statement and ask for your understanding."
The agency also said, "As colleagues who worked together for a long time, we sincerely wish for Seonghun's stability, but if false information spreads and damages the reputation of the company and artists, we will take strong measures including legal action. We will continue to provide only accurate information based on facts and hope that speculation and distortion will no longer spread."
After the agency's statement was released, Seonghun posted another statement expressing displeasure: "Yes Longplay Music, I read your statement. You say I personally attacked some members and their families — please detail exactly what personal attacks I made. Do not edit it."
Seonghun concluded, "I tolerated all kinds of things for 20 years. Family? Are you the only ones with family? Was my family not precious? If you come out like that, I will also take any legal measures. I also respect and look forward to Broasol's future good performances and music, but to label the 20 years of hardship we endured together as mental illness, I will fight for my honor to the end. From now on I will only state accurate facts based on the truth."
Fans were bewildered by the sudden exposé and rebuttal. One fan said, "I want to see the hyungs perform without being hurt. I hope this is resolved well," and another commented, "I don't know what happened, but I hope both sides meet and talk instead of reacting emotionally."
Meanwhile, Brown Eyed Soul released their fifth full-length album Soul Tricycle on the 23rd of last month, their first in 10 years. This album is Broasol's first release in six years and the first to be presented after the group reconfigured as a trio following Seonghun's departure in 2023.
Also, Broasol will hold the year-end concert Soul Tricycle for three days on Dec. 24, 25 and 27 at Gocheok Sky Dome. This performance, the group's first concert in six years since 'It' Soul Right' in Seoul, Daegu and Busan in 2019, is expected to mark a new beginning for Broasol.
[photo] OSEN database, Longplay Music
[OSEN]