Produce 101 Season 2 contestant Lee Seokyu was once violently beaten by other members of his former idol group.
Seokyu was once part of the 10 member idol group Pure Boy, which debuted in 2014 and released two music videos. Seokyu joined the group in early 2015 when Pure Boy decided to debut in Japan with their single, “Love x Evol.”
In the second half of 2015, seven members of Pure Boy left the group without notifying their agency. Seokyu, Hayoung, and Sangyoon remained in the group and did not leave. The seven members who left also took with them two managers and formed a new company, O Entertainment, and the group Naughty Boys.
It was then revealed that three members of Naughty Boys, Hwang, Jeon, and Yang violently assaulted Seokyu when they were part of Pure Boys. They beat him severely on two different occasions, punching him and stomping on his chest and stomach.
The three members involved in the assaults were investigated and prosecuted by Yongsan Police Station. They were eventually fined for an undisclosed amount for assault. Yang was also investigated for threatening and intimidating other members of Pure Boy.
Pure Boy has since recruited six more members to the group and rebranded as PureL. Their agency, IT Entertainment, sued the former members and managers who left for breach of contract, with the case still ongoing.
Since the incident, Seokyu and one of the new members, Minho, have joined Produce 101 Season 2. Minho was not part of the group when Seokyu was being abused and only joined after the assault occurred.
Source: Joongang, Newsen, and Wikitree
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