Korean Fans Demand DSP Media To Terminate Contract With Former Member Lee Hyunjoo, Following The Agency’s New Statement Denying The Bullying Allegation

After former APRIL member Lee Hyunjoo shared a tell-all Instagram post about the bullying she allegedly endured from the team members between 2014 to 2016, DSP Media released an official statement denying the allegations made in the post — as did current members Chaewon and Yena.

The agency statement insisted, “The post…is one-sided and distorted, completely different from the truth.” It reiterated that all “truth will be revealed by law” in the legal action taken against Lee Hyunjoo and her family and friends.

Hello, this is DSP Media. Here is the agency’s official statement regarding the social media post shared by miss Lee Hyunjoo today.

The content of the post in question is one-sided and distorted, completely different from the truth. It has been five years since Lee Hyunjoo left APRIL. Yet she and her acquaintances continue to behave irresponsibly toward the members. Hence, the agency and the group, who have stayed by her side through the years, now face an unbearable amount of distress and damages.

Of course the accused members looked forward to having the truth be told and their names cleared. However, considering how opinions can be personal and such personal opinions cannot help resolve the issue at hand, we agreed on seeking legal help and getting the truth out via a thorough and objective investigation of the situation.

So the truth will be revealed by law. The members who have been accused will have their names cleared through this legal process. Again, we apologize for having caused you concern.

— DSP Media

Korean fans, however, noticed the official statement “only aims to protect the current APRIL members” — when Lee Hyunjoo is still under DSP Media’s management by contract.

• “Just let her go.”
• “Terminate her contract first, before you start talking. You seem to have forgotten that Lee Hyunjoo is also an artist still under your management. So stop taking sides.”
• “If this is how you’re going to play this game, at least let her out of the contract first. You’re literally proving yourselves to be absolute garbage.”
• “Okay, whatever you say.”
• “Terminate her contract.”
• “Just let her out of the contract first.”

Following the statement, Korean fans began demanding DSP Media to terminate the contract they have with Lee Hyunjoo, especially if they “will not be providing the quality management that Lee Hyunjoo should be receiving rightfully.”

• “Let’s be clear. Lee Hyunjoo is not the one who caused damages. The public turned their backs because of your actions. This agency has no idea how the business works, huh?”
• “Just… shut up.”
• “The least you can do is to terminate the contract for Lee Hyunjoo. That way she can find herself a different management who will fight for her against you in the legal battle. You’re already at an advantage by keeping her under your management. So what would the investigation really even mean?”
• “But you guys previously admitted that you had fault in what happened. So why not talk about how you guys are also responsible for the damages? This agency is so problematic.”
• “This is beyond terrible, seriously…”
• “Why have you still not let Lee Hyunjoo out of her contract though? Don’t you, as her agency, feel the slightest bit of responsibility for what happened?”

In the revelation shared for the first time since the initial allegation made by her younger brother, Lee Hyunjoo claimed that DSP Media is stopping her from working while keeping her from terminating her contract.

The agency has currently halted all activities for me. They are turning down any work opportunities that get sent my way without consulting me first. But they insist they cannot terminate my contract either. I’m not going to let them keep doing this to me, for my sake and my family and friend’s sake. I will respond to the legal action they have taken against me with the help of the people who are keeping by my side.

— Lee Hyunjoo