The Debut of MIXNINE’s Final Group Has Been Cancelled

After weeks of speculations and controversies, MIXNINE‘s debut has officially been cancelled.

First place winner Woo Jinyoung‘s agency, Happyface Entertainment, confirmed the news of the cancellation through a representative of the company.

“Unfortunately, MIXNINE’s debut has been cancelled. Woo Jinyoung will return to Happyface as a trainee. He will return in the future with an even better image.” — Happyface Representative

Reports indicate that the agencies of the members met for a final meeting. YG Entertainment had initially offered a 3-year contract, where 6 months of the year they would promote as MIXNINE, and the other 6 months with their respective agencies.

YG Offers 3 Year Contract To MIXNINE Winning Team, Netizens Think He’s “Insane”

Many of the agencies turned down the offer, believing the terms of the contract to be unreasonable. They requested that the duration be shorter, as the original contract was supposed to be under a year.

MIXNINE Agencies Cannot Accept YG’s Unreasonable 3 Year Contract Proposal

An insider revealed that the agencies could not reach an agreement. This is believed to be the reason for the disbandment of the group.

In addition, contracts signed by trainees for shows like MIXNINE and The Uni+ were recently found illegal on 4 counts by the Fair Trade Commision (FTC). This is believed to have played a part in negotiation breakdowns.

The FTC decided that YG Entertainment’s exemption clauses included in the contract were illegal because it placed more risk on the trainees, when the agency should bear the responsibility in the event of failing to promote their program.

Although initial reports indicated that Yang Hyun Suk would replace members of MIXNINE if their agencies didn’t agree with his contract terms, it seems that the group’s debut was ultimately cancelled.