Industry Insiders, Concert Organizers & Family Members Weigh In On B.A.P-TS Entertainment Lawsuit

With the news of K-Pop's latest contract lawsuit, everyone seems to have an opinion about the relationship between TS Entertainment and boy band B.A.P.

Recently many different people have chimed in, including insiders such as concert organizers and the idols' family members.

B.A.P reportedly filed a lawsuit against their record label, TS Entertainment, on November 26 for the nullification of all members' contracts citing unfair treatment during the three years the group has been promoting.

TS Entertainment released an initial statement saying they were shocked and addressed the group's reported concerns in a point-by-point rebuttal statement through Facebook.

"What is certain is that TS Entertainment did nothing illegal," TS Entertainment's statement to B.A.P's fans read, "We have never treated B.A.P unfairly or forcefully." The lengthy message went on to say that the agency had the group's best interests at heart when they cancelled their South American tour on October 28.

"While we were running hard together, around October, the members told us through their management team leader that they wanted to rest," explained the company. "We respected their intentions and cancelled all schedules including their South American tour and their Japan tour, and gave them a long rest."

The older brother of B.A.P's youngest member Zelo posted his feelings about TS Entertainment's statement on his personal Facebook page.

"Spread the word please," he pleaded. "I would like to speak about TS’s official statement on B.A.P’s lawsuit as an older brother of one of the members."

In the message, Zelo's brother comes to the defense of the group in response to the company's rebuttal. "We gave the artists a break in order to protect them? They threatened 3 of the members when they were barely conscious from exhaustion and forced them to carry on with their schedules by giving them IV lines."

"Only when the parents begged did they give them a break using the word indefinite hiatus," he added.

The production company that organized B.A.P's canceled South American tour, HallyuTrend, also weighed in on the lawsuit.

HallyuTrend shared a lengthy post on December 6th on their official Facebook page apologizing to fans once again for the concert cancellations and asserting their opinion of TS Entertainment's professionalism.

"We are really sorry for not being able to carry out this tour, and we want to make sure all the fans understand our disappointment and concern for the group," their message said. "By the same token, we join in the annoyance with the company TS Entertainment for its lack of seriousness and professionalism to everything that has happened."

HallyuTrend went on to describe the actions they will take against TS Entertainment. "We decided after this, to also cancel the original request of merchandising we were going to make, since the purchase of these products continue to generate revenue for the company, which as many will be/are aware, has not respected the fair profit [share] that the B.A.P members deserve."

"Also, we would like to clarify that HallyuTrend is still waiting on a response from the correspondents of TS Entertainment, and that they will be responsible for all damages caused by the hiring and cancellation of this tour."

The South American tour was meant to kick off on November 2 in Buenos Aires, Aregentina before moving on to stops in Santiago, Chile on November 4th, and Lima, Peru on November 6th. HallyuTrend's post also included instructions for fans seeking refunds.

Shortly after the lawsuit announcement, B.A.P's former vocal trainer by the name of Hak-Ssem posted messages on his Twitter account detailing his impressions of the relationship between the group members and their management company.

"At first, [the company] refused to meet with the parents," he said. "Later, when they met face to face with the CEO -I don't know how a CEO can do this to the parents of his agency's artists- he shouted things similar to swears."

The tweets were allegedly posted with permission from the family members of the B.A.P members and continued to chastise TS Entertainment for their behavior towards the group. "For three years, [the company] cut off [the members'] contact with the outside world and took their cellphones away," Hak-Ssem continued. "Even when they went to their hometowns for a fan signing, [the company] wouldn't even let [the members] see their parents for more than 10 minutes."

"These kids had to memorize the phone numbers of their friends, teachers, and parents, and always erased their call history for fear of being caught contacting them through things like their iPad, Kakao Talk, or FaceTime because they are under surveillance."

Tags
B.A.P
TS Entertainment
Zelo
HallyuTrend
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