Singer Taemin left Big Planet Made, and Lee Seung Gi also notified the company of his contract termination. Lee Seung Gi's side pointed to a breach of trust, including unpaid settlements.
On the 6th, one media outlet reported that Lee Seung Gi notified his agency, Big Planet Made Entertainment, at the end of last month that he was terminating the exclusive contract due to the agency's breach of contract. The notice of termination of the exclusive contract was reported to have been largely driven by the 'staff expense nonpayment' issue.
Regarding this, Big Planet Made said it was "in consultations." A Big Planet Made official told OSEN that "the company is currently making every effort to promptly stabilize management, and we are continuously consulting to ensure that the related matters can be resolved amicably."
Unlike Big Planet Made, which said it was in consultations, Lee Seung Gi's side emphasized the breakdown of trust. Lee Seung Gi's legal representative, lawyer Yoon Yong Seok of Law Office Hyunmyeong, issued an official statement saying, "Despite the artist's efforts to maintain the original trust relationship amid various issues surrounding the agency, departures of agency artists, and some unpaid settlements, payments have not been made from September of last year to the present, and there have been problems with support for the artist's entertainment activities and payments to on-site staff and related external vendors."
He added, "The artist requested to inspect basic documents related to contractual relationships to secure transparency in settlements, but this too was refused without justifiable reason. As a result, the artist notified the termination of the exclusive contract at the end of March, and the exclusive contract has been lawfully terminated and its effect has completely ended," explaining the situation.
Lee Seung Gi's side said, "Going forward, the artist will do his best to prevent unexpected damage to other related parties from this incident, and will carry out scheduled activities without disruption."
Following Taemin's departure when his exclusive contract ended in February, Lee Seung Gi's declaration of 'termination of exclusive contract' has continued Big Planet Made's crisis. In particular, there were suspicions that Taemin had not received rightful settlement amounts during his activities. At the time, Big Planet Made explained that "the 'unsettled' issue mentioned in the article is a matter currently being normally negotiated and adjusted according to each artist's contract terms and activity circumstances."
However, Taemin ultimately left Big Planet Made and transferred to Galaxy Corporation, where G-Dragon is signed. It was about two years since he left SM Entertainment in April 2024 and settled into the new agency.
After Taemin, on the 19th of last month it was reported that singers Lee Mu-jin and Be'O, and the group VIVIZ (Eunha, SinB, Umji) would leave Big Planet Made. They were also reported to have notified contract termination citing serious exclusive contract violations and the resulting breakdown of trust.
However, Big Planet Made said, "There is no final conclusion regarding the termination of exclusive contracts for VIVIZ, Lee Mu-jin, and Be'O. The company is making every effort for the artists' normal activities," the company said.
Amid unresolved issues, following Taemin, the successive departures including Lee Seung Gi have continued Big Planet Made's crisis.
[Photo] OSEN DB.
[OSEN]