On the recommendation of an indictment for accusations of child neglect and aggression against members of TRCNG, TS Entertainment director and two more staff members were moved to the prosecution.
On April 14, Wooyeop and Taeseon, ex-TRCNG members, released a statement through their legal representative.
"The Women and Youth Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Department sent three suspects in the case of child violence involving Jo Wooyeop and Yang Taeseon to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on April 10, on a request to prosecute them without detention," the statement said.
Wooyeop and Taeseon lodged criminal charges against the three employees last November attributed to alleged child assault and violence-related injury. They also applied for withdrawal of their agreements, and subsequently, it was reported that Wooyeop and Taeseon would no longer promote with the band.
Wooyeop and Taeseon's lawyer stated:
"On November 4, 2019, Jo Wooyeop and Yang Taeseon of TS Entertainment boy band TRCNG members sent the agency to notify the business of their exclusive contracts withdrawal and filed criminal charges with Seoul Metropolitan Police departments, namely Director Park Sang Hyun, for child violence and child abuse injury.
The grounds for terminating their contracts include (1) the long-term absence of a CEO and the lack of management expertise of the organization due to legal conflicts with its artists, and (2) the ongoing child abuse of members who are minors by Director Park Sang Hyun, and the choreography director Yoon, who causes injury to Jo Wooyeop due to violence."
Park Sang Hyun required them to do choreography from 5 p.m. until 5 a.m, according to Wooyeop and Taeseon. They had to return to the agency every day again at 10 a.m. for professional and vocal exercises. The members were unable to travel two to three hours round trip to attend school adequately, so in their second year of high school, they transferred schools and were two years behind most students of their rank.
Wooyeop and Taeseon said Park Sang Hyun often used a game as an excuse to attack the members and was repeatedly cursing at them. If the members were hurt while B-boying, the company refused to act, and the members went to the emergency room on their own to seek medical treatment.
They were not supplied with food, and the water and electricity of their dorm were cut off because bills were not paid. The parents of the members replaced and bought new ones as the company did not take the initiative when the air conditioner, toilet, and purifier were damaged.
As for the choreography director Yoon, on June 10 of this year, he is said to have hit Wooyeop with a steel chair. The agency didn't address this as well, so Wooyeop went alone to the emergency room at Soonchunhyang University and was advised he would need 14 days to recover. He came back and forth for two days to the hospital and was relocated to another nearby hospital due to high fever. Once, Park Sang Hyun appeared to the hospital and said, "You may ruin one's life, so be careful of what you are saying."
Park Sang Hyun and other managers said when Wooyeop was released from the hospital that he had been lying and that he got so sick from alcohol and meeting with girls. Wooyeop is now in the hospital to seek treatment. He revealed that another company employee also extorted 1.2 million won from him.
Taeseon has been rebuked and regularly hit since his trainee days because he is the leader, according to the reports, and he stated he was struck in the head and yelled at when scolded. He realized that, while seeing the lack of urgency taken when Wooyeop was abused and in hospital, he could no longer stay.
However, TS Entertainment refuted their allegations. The company's lawyer responded to the claims and sent out an official statement.
"Hello, this is TS Entertainment.
This is an official response regarding TRCNG.
We clearly indicate that what the TRCNG members Taeseon and Wooyeop reported via today's news articles is not factual.
Everything they assert is only one-sided from Taeseon and Wooyeop, and not all of the TRCNG members agree with that.
Therefore, the actions of Taeseon and Wooyeop are undermining the community activities of TRCNG, and we intend to take legal proceedings for the harm done to our company like defamation.
We appreciate everyone who's showing interest in our company and giving our artists love and attention.
Thank you."
