Article: [Exclusive] "I said I slept with her just to look cool"... Joo Hak-nyeon, idol morals questioned
Source: Dispatch
"I drank alcohol, but I didn't engage in pr*stitution"
Joo Hak-nyeon admitted to meeting AV actresses. However, the scope of the meeting was limited to drinking parties. He drew a line on the pr*stitution controversy. (The pr*stitution suspicion was raised by a media outlet.)
Joo Hak-nyeon framed the incident as a truth game. He described himself as the weak party in the entertainment industry and appealed, "A person with nothing can fall down because of something he didn't do (prostitution)."
At the same time, he packaged this situation as the 'hope' of the weak fighting against the strong. He cast himself as the (weak) who attended the drinking party with the AV actress vs the strong (the company) who pushed him to leave.
"I will go all the way to reveal the truth. I hope this fight can be a small hope to someone." (Joo Hak-nyeon)
What is Joo Hak-nyeon feeling wronged about? What warning did the agency give?
'Dispatch' revisited the events of the problematic May 30th again and added the official testimony from The Boyz member himself.
When: May 30, 2025.
Who: Joo Hak-nyeon, male A (Japanese designer), male B (designer acquaintance), Asuka Kirara (AV actress), Japanese women C, D, E, etc.
Where: Bar (1am), Karaoke (2am), Private Room (4am), Kirara House's (6am), etc.
What: Joo Hak-nyeon and a Japanese designer, acquaintances, etc. 1st round at a bar, 2nd round at karaoke -> 3rd round is a private room. Many women including Asuka Kirara join here -> Ju Hak-nyeon and Kirara, after drinking, take a taxi to (Kirara) home -> Ju Hak-nyeon, return to the members' dorm (hotel) in the morning.
How: According to 'Weekly Bunshun' questionnaire, Joo Haknyeon and Kirara were physically intimate (did skinship), hugging each other on streets of Roppongi. Afterwards, they took a taxi to Kirara's house. The agency requested confirmation of the facts about the relationship between the two.
Why: One Hundred Entertainment confirmed the facts through interviews with Joo Haknyeon and other members. They judged that Joo Haknyeon's private life (drinking with AV actresses, romantic (skinship) activities, leaving the dorm) would have a negative impact on group activities and notified him of contract termination.
Up to this point, those are the 5Ws and 1H of the incident. The facts are that Joo Hak-nyeon drank with Asuka Kirara. After the drinking party, he went to her house. And he returned to the members' dorm (hotel) in the morning.
Joo Hak-nyeon admitted to the incident during the first interview with his agency. He reportedly said, "I didn't pay the money. My hyungs paid it. I don't want to cause any more harm to the members."
One Hundred was concerned about two things. They considered the repercussions if the AV actress’s skinship photos were released. If (Joo Hak-nyeon) and the group paid compensation to the AV actresses, there would also be legal issues.
“According to Article 6, Paragraph 3 of the exclusive contract, ‘Acts that damage the dignity of a popular culture artist to the extent that entertainment activities are hindered’…” (One Hundred)
The agency requested termination of the contract based on Article 6, Section 3 of the exclusive contract. They judged that drinking with AV actresses and showing affection on the street would have a negative impact on the group's activities because of the group's primarily female fandom.
In addition, the testimony of a group official was a decisive factor in the expulsion. "Joo Hak-nyeon bragged that he slept with Kirara." Kirara even has a fiancé. There was concern about backlash from fans both in Korea and Japan.
"He didn't come back to the dorm (hotel) that day. When I asked him where he had been, he said he was at Asuka Kirara's house. He bragged about sleeping with her." (The Boyz official)
"The withdrawal was decided. Then, he complained about the injustice. He changed his story, saying, "We didn't have sex at Kirara's house. I said that (we slept together) to make it seem like we did to look cool." (The Boyz official)
Joo Hak-nyeon has announced legal action.
"They unilaterally kicked me out of the team just because I was with a famous person at a private event." (Joo Hak-nyeon)
"This society may become a place where people who have nothing are destroyed even for things they didn't do." (Joo Hak-nyeon)
"If there is evidence of prostitution, please release it immediately." (Joo Hak-nyeon)
Joo Hak-nyeon is currently waging a war(?) against 'pr*stitution'. However, the background to his expulsion is different. AV drinking parties, skinship in the streets, and leaving the dorm are all against the dignity of an artist. In a word, it is a problem of (idol) morals.
Finally, 'Dispatch' exchanged DMs with Asuka Kirara. At first, she drew the line, saying, "Except for professional reasons, I have never engaged in prostitution. No matter how much money was offered, I have never engaged in private sex for money."
'Dispatch' asked additional questions, "Why did you go to that place?" and added, "If there is a misunderstanding, can you do an interview? We can come to Japan."
However, Asuka Kirara did not respond any further.