ONE HUNDRED, led by CEO Cha Ga Won, is facing a serious management and financial crisis. More recently, it was revealed that several major artists under its affiliated labels have not been paid their wages.
According to an investigation by The Fact, unpaid payments owed to artists, including EXO members Baekhyun, Chen, and Xiumin, SHINee’s Taemin, and boy group THE BOYZ, amount to several billion won.
When The Fact approached ONE HUNDRED for a comment about the unpaid wages, they did not receive any response.
The report states that THE BOYZ, who are managed directly under ONE HUNDRED, are currently owed about 1 billion won in unpaid wages. EXO’s Baekhyun, who is under the label INB100, is also owed around 1 billion won, while Chen and Xiumin are each owed hundreds of millions of won more.
Taemin, who joined BigPlanetMade, is reportedly owed well over 1 billion won as well. Altogether, the total unpaid amount for artists under the ONE HUNDRED structure is estimated to be around 5 billion won.
Concerns about the company’s financial health had already been raised in the past. Korean media outlets previously reported on CEO Cha Ga Won’s unusual management practices, including reports of 10.8 billion won spent on costumes in 2024 alone and 72 billion won in advance payments. These concerns have now proven to be real, as artists have begun to experience delayed or missing payments.
Financial documents show that BigPlanetMade was already in a state of complete capital erosion in 2024. As of May 30 last year, its liabilities were about 53.2 billion won, while its assets were only about 34.2 billion won. INB100 was in slightly better condition but had almost no remaining cash. The situation did not improve in 2025 and instead continued to worsen.
All of these labels are closely connected. BigPlanetMade’s largest shareholder is Cha Ga Won through ONE HUNDRED, and INB100’s largest shareholder is also ONE HUNDRED. In reality, all of these companies are controlled by Cha Ga Won. They survived for a time using advance payments from concerts, albums, events, and broadcast appearances, but even that became difficult from the second half of 2025.
By the fourth quarter of last year, rumors about unpaid wages began spreading among industry insiders. Several artists reportedly met with a trusted industry figure and shared their worries about not being paid and about their future activities. According to this source, the artists had not received proper payments since the third quarter.
Taemin joined BigPlanetMade in April 2024 and started a world tour in August, performing in 29 regions until April 2025. While payments are usually made a few months later, it is believed that he did not receive parts of his concert earnings. His Japanese arena tour, which ran from September until the end of the year, also continued without payment.
Baekhyun founded INB100, and Chen and Xiumin later joined him. INB100 was absorbed into ONE HUNDRED in May 2024. Soon after, Baekhyun began a large-scale world tour, starting in Seoul in June and visiting 28 cities worldwide. He is also scheduled to hold encore concerts at Seoul’s KSPO Dome from January 2-4.
Despite this heavy schedule, he has reportedly not been paid the income he should have received since the second half of 2025. Chen, Xiumin, and The Boyz are said to be in similar situations.
The financial pressure is even worse for Baekhyun, Chen, and Xiumin because they are required to pay 10 percent of their individual earnings to SM Entertainment under their existing agreement. However, due to INB100’s lack of funds, these payments have not been made.
According to The Fact, SM Entertainment sent certified letters to Baekhyun and Chen at the end of last year demanding the unpaid amount. The issue is that the artists themselves have not even received proper settlements from their agency.
This ongoing dispute led to Baekhyun, Chen, and Xiumin being unable to participate in planned EXO activities. A full-group comeback and fan meeting scheduled after two years and six months ultimately collapsed, which deeply disappointed fans.
SM Entertainment has stated that trust has been seriously damaged and that payment and legal issues must be resolved before group activities can resume.
Meanwhile, THE BOYZ have also faced instability. In mid-2025, member Ju Haknyeon’s contract was terminated after the agency cited a morals clause related to reports of a private meeting with a Japanese influencer. Ju Haknyeon denied any illegal activity and is currently challenging the termination in court after the agency demanded over 2 billion won in damages.
Despite occasional income from events and broadcast appearances, these payments are not enough to solve the company’s deeper financial problems. ONE HUNDRED and its affiliated labels employ over 100 staff members, with monthly labor costs estimated at around 400 million won.
Even if short-term funding is secured, it is expected to only provide temporary relief. Upcoming album releases and promotions are now uncertain.
Calls are growing for a full investigation into ONE HUNDRED and its affiliated companies. Many are questioning how such severe financial trouble occurred despite massive advance payments and the artists’ continuous activities.
