Seoul police have imposed an exit ban on a Japanese K-pop trainee accused of fraud after he allegedly disappeared just months before his group’s debut.
According to local news reports on Sunday, the Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station is investigating the trainee following a complaint filed by his agency.
The trainee went missing in December, about two months before he was set to debut as part of a six-member boy group. He reportedly left behind a message saying, “Trust has been broken,” before cutting off contact.
According to the agency, at the time, the group had already completed filming its music video and released its member profiles. The group ultimately debuted as a five-member act without him.
The agency estimated its damages at 57.43 million won ($39,000), including training expenses, song and choreography production, recording fees, music video production, and living costs such as meals and housing.
Police believe the trainee is still in South Korea and are tracking his whereabouts.
The agency initially attempted to move past the incident, but later pursued legal action after discovering the trainee had signed with another agency, according to local reports.
K-pop industry insiders note that contract violations by foreign trainees are common, especially at smaller agencies, which often avoid legal action due to time and cost constraints.
Foreign trainees are becoming an increasingly important part of the K-pop industry.
According to the Korea Creative Content Agency, 42 of the 963 trainees signed with Korean agencies as of the end of 2024 were foreign nationals.
ssh@heraldcorp.com
