On June 22, Joo Haknyeon, a former member of boy group THE BOYZ, released a lengthy personal statement via SNS, where he firmly denied recent sex crime allegations and shed light on what he described as a calculated and unfair termination by his agency.
Particular, in his emotionally charged post, the male idol detailed how he went from K-pop idol to being branded a sex crime suspect in a matter of days, attributing the incident to what he believes is a targeted attempt to manufacture a scandal.
“I became a sex crime suspect overnight. If I don’t reveal the truth, I’ll be remembered as a criminal forever”, he wrote.
According to Haknyeon, Japan’s media site Shukan Bunshun contacted his agency regarding a photo of him with AV actress Asuka Kirara. As a result, the male idol suspended activities out of regret towards his fans and group members, and was discussing follow-up measures with his agency.
However, the agency, ONE HUNDRED, suddenly demanded Haknyeon to sign an agreement to terminate his exclusive contract and pay over 2 billion won (approx 1.45 million USD), with no room for negotiation. Then, as Haknyeon did not sign the agreement on June 17, his agency publicly announced his departure the next day. Shortly after, media reports alleged he had engaged in prostitution, causing a firestorm online.
The male idol argues that this sequence of events felt orchestrated, stating, “Articles about me meeting an AV actress and then engaging in prostitution came out in succession—before the Shukan Bunshun article was even published. Everything happened within two days. It felt like someone was fabricating the reason for contract termination.”
In his post, Joo Haknyeon also revealed that he has filed a lawsuit against the journalist behind the original report and plans to pursue civil and criminal cases against those spreading false information. He also criticized the vague and subjective nature of the “damage to public image” clause in his contract, which the agency cited as grounds for termination.
While firmly denying all criminal accusations, Joo claimed that the agency did not follow the termination procedures stipulated in the exclusive contract and expressed remorse over his behavior and apologized to fans and former teammates for the stress caused by the scandal.
“I’m not proud of my actions, and I deeply apologize to the fans and my team. But I have never committed any of the crimes listed in that contract clause, including drugs, assault, prostitution, or anything similar”, he stated, adding, “I am absolutely not claiming that my actions on May 30 were right. I am so sorry for my careless actions toward the fans who believed in and supported me as an idol. I deeply and sincerely reflect on this and will keep it in my heart for the rest of my life.”
Meanwhile, ONE HUNDRED announced on the 16th that Joo Hak-nyeon would be suspending team activities due to personal reasons. Two days later, on the 18th, they announced his withdrawal from the team and termination of his exclusive contract, citing personal issues. On the same day, controversy arose when it was revealed that he had a private meeting with Japanese adult video (AV) actress Asuka Kirara. On top of that, suspicions of prostitution were raised, dealing a fatal blow to THE BOYZ’s image.
Joo Haknyeon completely denies the suspicions of prostitution and is taking legal action. In the midst of this, the Japanese magazine Shukan Bunshun, which triggered the incident, reported on the 21st a photo of Joo Haknyeon hugging Kirara from behind on a street in downtown Tokyo. The photos show Joo Haknyeon, who was wearing a hat and mask to hide his identity, and Kirara, who was wearing a white dress and sunglasses. As the conflict spread, Kirara posted on SNS on the 20th, explaining, “I have never received money for sex in my life. A woman I met there for the first time liked Joo Haknyeon, and she took the photos and sold them to Bunshun.”
Finally, Joo concluded his statement by expressing his determination to fight back, saying, “It’s scary to go up against a large company as an individual. However, I will not back down for the sake of those who still believe in me.”
