K-pop fans have been left shook as recent news broke that one of popular girl group LOONA’s members, Chuu, has publicly been removed from the group. On Nov. 25, the group’s management agency, Blockberry Creative, released a statement that said Chuu was being removed from the group due to allegations of verbal abuse towards staff members. In an Instagram Story posted on Nov. 28, Chuu denied the allegations, writing in part, “I haven’t done anything that would be shameful to my fans.” Fans (aka Orbits), previous employers, and bandmates alike have shown their outright disapproval for Chuu’s removal from the group. On Nov. 28, reports claimed nine members of LOONA are even working to suspend their contracts, which has left the K-pop community with many questions. The one on everyone’s minds has to be: Is LOONA disbanding?
When LOONA’s agency, Blockberry Creative, announced on Nov. 25 that Chuu was being removed from the K-pop group, they alleged that she had an “abuse of power.” Part of the agency’s statement read, “There were many stories about Chuu, but the company and members of LOONA did not say anything for a time to prevent problems concerning the development of the team and fans,” continuing, “We recently investigated Chuu’s abuse of power, including abusive language toward our staff, […] We decided to take responsibility and remove Chuu from LOONA.” Her Campus reached out to Blockberry Creative for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
Regarding her removal from LOONA, Chuu took to her Instagram story on Nov. 28 to post her first public statement since the news broke. According to a translation published in Soompi, she wrote, “Thank you so much for your concern and comfort. As I have not received any contact regarding this series of situations or know anything about them, I’m currently grasping the situation, but what I’m sure of is that I haven’t done anything that would be shameful to my fans. In the future, as my position is decided, I will share another statement.”
Many friends and co-workers have rallied behind Chuu, showing support for her while denying the allegations against the artist. Many individuals that she has worked with, from photographers to journalists to writers of her TV and YouTube series Chuu Can Do It, have released their own statements disapproving the claims that Blockberry has put out.
Some of Chuu’s bandmates are rumored to have gone as far as submitting a provisional injunction against Blockberry Creative that would suspend their contracts. According to a Nov. 28 report from AllKPop, nine band members including Heejin, Haseul, Yeojin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Choerry, Yves, Go Won, and Olivia Hye have reportedly submitted an application for injunction of their contract.
However, a Blockberry Creative representative has denied these allegations, stating that “It is groundless that 9 Loona members applied for a provisional injunction against the agency to suspend the effect of their exclusive contract.”
While the group is made up of 12 members in total, Vivi and Hyunjin were not named in the reported suit that was filed. However, Hyunjin has publicly shown her support for Chuu on social platforms like Fab amid the ongoing allegations, asking fans to support her.
The water is surely muddled in this whole situation, and many are questioning the fate of Chuu and LOONA as a whole. In October, prior to the announcement of Chuu’s removal from the group, an exclusive report by Osen stated that she had created her own company separate from Blockberry in April. Multiple outlets circulated the report, though Blockberry denied the rumors of her leaving the company. There have also been reports as of Nov. 26 that a Blockberry CEO and COO have been involved in alleged tax evasion of around $37 million USD. Her Campus reached out to Blockberry Creative for comment on these allegations as well, but did not hear back in time for publication.
Phew — the K-pop drama is getting messy, y’all. But really, is LOONA going to be breaking up? Unfortunately for Orbits, that answer is unclear right now. But if there actually is an injunction to suspend the nine group members’ contracts (though Blockberry has denied it) and it’s granted, it’s pretty much assumed that LOONA will be disbanding.
*Sigh,* I know: That’s not what anyone wants to hear, but if the rumored contract injunction exists and is cleared, then it will be hard for any of the band members to continue creating music as LOONA without Blockberry. The official contract period for LOONA is a gray area, as there was initially a seven-year deal set in place that many can’t trace an official start date back to. Depending on when the contract began, it’s safe to assume it’ll run through 2023 or 2024.
So, hang in there, Orbits. While disbandment may seem likely in the coming months (or years), I guess we’ll have to wait and see.