GOT7 member Youngjae has once again brought public attention to the controversy over unpaid musical appearance fees.
On the 9th, Youngjae took to his personal Instagram Story, posting a lengthy message that began, "You said everything would be settled by June 9, but it still isn’t settled as of today," openly expressing frustration with the production company.
Youngjae performed in the musical Dream High from April to July last year. After the run ended, he still hadn’t received his fee and filed a lawsuit against the production company of Dream High Season 2. Adding fuel to the fire, news of a Season 3 being produced broke even as the unpaid-fee issue remained unresolved, prompting suspicions that the company might be using new funds to cover past payments owed to actors.
Regarding this, Youngjae said, "Come August, it’ll be almost a full year with no settlement," adding, "How do you think it feels for someone who still hasn’t been properly paid to see posts like that? And please don’t say payments are ‘in progress’ when you’re only trickling out small portions of what should have been paid in full."
He continued, "From what I see, the tiny amounts you’ve sent don’t look anything like a proper settlement. Did I ever ask for money I’m not entitled to? I wanted to resolve this amicably. But I don’t think we’re the side making things difficult," tagging the production company Art One Company and its CEO Kim Eun-ha by account to publicly call them out.
Meanwhile, Youngjae enlisted last November and is currently serving as a social service worker as part of his alternative service.