According to an investigation by The Fact, boy group THE BOYZ, currently under One Hundred, is reportedly owed approximately 1 billion won. Baekhyun, who belongs to sub-label INB100, is also said to be waiting on close to 1 billion won in unpaid earnings, while fellow EXO members Chen and Xiumin are each owed amounts in the hundreds of millions. Taemin of SHINee, signed under another sub-label Big Planet Made, is reported to be owed well over 1 billion won.
These developments follow earlier reports detailing questionable and excessive spending under Cha Ga Won’s leadership, including unusually high costume expenses and massive advance payments. What was once speculation has now materialized into a concrete issue, with multiple artists allegedly not receiving payments owed to them.
Financial statements filed in May last year already hinted at trouble. Big Planet Made was found to be in complete capital impairment, with liabilities exceeding assets by roughly 18 billion won. INB100 was in slightly better shape but reportedly had minimal remaining cash. Rather than improving, the situation appears to have worsened into 2025.
Cha Ga Won is the largest shareholder of One Hundred, which in turn is the largest shareholder of INB100, effectively placing all these entities under her control. The companies have relied heavily on advance payments tied to concerts, albums, appearances, and broadcasts, but even this cash flow reportedly dried up in the latter half of 2025.
By late 2025, talk of unpaid settlements began circulating within industry circles. Some artists are said to have privately consulted trusted insiders to discuss unpaid earnings and uncertainty over future activities, with reports suggesting settlements stopped as early as the third quarter of the year.
Taemin joined Big Planet Made in April 2024 and launched a world tour that August, performing in 29 cities through April 2025. Given that settlements are typically processed within three months, it is believed that some tour revenues, including proceeds from his Japan arena tour, were never paid out.
INB100, founded by Baekhyun and joined by Chen and Xiumin, was absorbed into One Hundred in May 2024. Baekhyun immediately embarked on a global tour spanning 28 cities, with encore concerts scheduled at Seoul’s KSPO Dome. Despite the intense workload, reports claim that payments due from the latter half of 2025 remain unpaid.
Other artists, including Chen, Xiumin, and THE BOYZ, are said to be in similar situations. While artists continued working actively after the company secured large advance payments using their intellectual property, excessive spending such as an estimated 10.8 billion won reportedly spent on costumes in 2024 alone has left company accounts nearly empty. Management later claimed some of those expenses were misclassified production costs.
The situation is particularly complicated for Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin, who are contractually obligated to pay 10% of their individual earnings to SM Entertainment. Reports indicate SM sent a formal demand notice late last year, but with INB100 reportedly lacking funds and the artists themselves unpaid, the issue remains unresolved. This dispute has contributed to CBX sitting out EXO’s group activities, disappointing fans.
Although sporadic income from appearances and events may still come in due to the artists’ popularity, it is unlikely to resolve the broader crisis. With more than 100 employees across One Hundred and its labels and estimated monthly labor costs of around 400 million won, even short-term fixes would be temporary at best.
As questions grow over whether album releases and promotions can proceed smoothly, calls are increasing for a thorough investigation into how tens of billions of won in advance payments and intense artist activity led to such a financial breakdown. One Hundred has yet to respond to requests for confirmation regarding the unpaid settlements.
Sources: Daum