ZE:A's Leader Junyoung Continues to Voice Out Grievances on Contract, Industry, and Star Empire's CEO

Sep 21, 2014

ZE:A‘s leader, Moon Junyoung (also known as Lee Hoo), is not holding back on voicing out his frustration on the CEO of their agency, Star Empire‘s President Shin Joo Hak.

After shocking everyone through Twitter in the morning of September 21 by leaving warning messages to their CEO, ZE:A’s leader Moon Junyoung (Lee Hoo) continued to air his grievances through his official Twitter account around 9:30 p.m. (KST).

Moon Junyoung’s newer tweets have shed light on some of the things that he wants to put out in the open such as the terms of their contract, profit sharing, and working conditions that they have endured thus far while being under Star Empire’s management.

“Now, it’s only a few hours left until the day ends.. There should be no more victims including ZE:A.. Why should they be suppressed while doing the music they love.. In this world of entertainment, you’re a criminal if you don’t have money and a winner if you have money,” Junyoung began.

He then sent out his pleas to his colleagues in the industry and said, “Seniors, colleagues, juniors, and those who will appear after they continue to sing and dance with their dreams… I have the heart to show you that it’s only the outside that is fancy and the inside is really empty.. It’s not that nobody is earnestly opening their mouths, it’s that they cannot open their mouths. What is money in this world, it shuts mouths.. Reporters, please help.”

Junyoung then continued, “But I want to clear all those false charges. Those inside stories about everything turning out like that.. not being able to speak, closing and keeping everything in our hearts, and doing as we’re told–that is how it is for celebrities like us. Because I don’t want to lose my group, ZE:A.. I’ll get a hold of my heart once more. Please help me….”

Junyoung then began exposing details regarding their contract. “If this incident is buried once again, I cannot say that the world that everyone of you are thinking is wrong.. Why Siwan said, ‘Today, we also cowardly shut our mouths’.. before our standard contract came out. Our exclusive contract is for 12 years.. 10 years, excluding the 2 years spent while in the army.”

“After that, the contract we received that passed the Fair Trade Commission said that… we will have a 7:3 distribution ratio wherein the company will take 7 while we take 3, and we worked how many years with that [arrangement]. If we earn 1 million won, President Shin Joo Hak takes 70% and we take 30%… we are nine people. From 300,000 won, we divide and divide and divide it
among ourselves….”

Aside from the length of the contract, Junyoung also talked about the working conditions that he had to endure while under contract. “The contract length is seven years and with military included, about nine. From my 10s to my 20s, I am giving my youth to Star Empire. Because the dorm conditions are poor, [I] have broken my face while going to the bathroom half asleep. One week before the “Aftermath” comeback, I broke my leg after being sent on KBS Dream Team.”

“Is the broadcast station politics too? The Dream Team PD told me to come on the show so I went and ended up having tons of metal pins nailed in [my leg] but said on TV that I hurt myself while practicing. I’m saying this is wrong. The people who merely came with a fruit basket after the surgery…The reality is that this is the only way we can go on music programs,” he continued.

“I shut my mouth even then. At that time, [I] was more concerned about the hospital fees before my broken leg…What is it about money that makes one unable to say what needs to be said..What I…What we wanted was one kind word…But [you] made me…made us..this way,” Junyoung added.

Junyoung then sent out a warning to his readers, “In this world, money is everything, it seems. It seems to be worse in this entertainment industry that I have experienced..From the mouth to making people commit suicide, it is trumped up mass communication..Don’t believe it…Please know that there is a reason why sweet candy melts fast.”

“No more..we are also the precious children of our parents, more precious than anything, the apple of our parents’ eyes…CEOs, self-reflect. If you think of us as your own children, you would never be able to do those things,” Junyoung added, showing that he has made his clear decision of not bearing with the situation that he was in anymore.

Finally, Junyoung ended his series of tweets for the night and said, “I am going right now to settle things with CEO Shin Joo Hak. Please wait…Don’t take this down from the search keywords.”

Together with his new series of tweets, Junyoung also changed his Twitter profile photo to a photo of ZE:A’s hands pooled together in the center that signifies unity.

ZE:A hands