GOT7's Yugyeom recently revealed that he faced financial struggles during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the group achieving significant success at the time.
The revelation came during an interview at the University of Southern California as part of Billboard's Artist Spotlight series, where the idol reflected on his personal challenges and shared advice with students.
Yugyeom disclosed that during the pandemic, he had no individual schedules and was left to rely solely on group activities. As the primary breadwinner for his family, this lack of work caused him considerable financial stress.
"Financially, I'm the breadwinner of the family right now, but there was a time when I didn't have any money. During the pandemic, I didn't have any work. I was always looking at my bank account," he said.
This came as a shock to fans, given GOT7's high-profile comebacks in 2020, including their EP Dye and studio album Breath of Love: Last Piece, which broke sales records for the group. Fans were quick to question how such financial difficulties could occur, especially since GOT7 was under JYP Entertainment at the time, one of K-pop's "Big Three" agencies.
"Did JYP scam them? When the pandemic hit, they still had a comeback, and that was one of their highest sales," one online user wrote. "JYP also restocked their old albums, and YG wrote many famous GOT7 songs, so he should get royalties."
Yugyeom noted that he turned to creating music and choreographing dance routines with friends to cope with the lack of work during the pandemic. These activities paved the way for his transition to AOMG after leaving JYP Entertainment in 2021.
GOT7 has not disbanded. Although the group terminated its contracts with JYP Entertainment in 2021, they continued to operate as a team despite members joining different agencies. The group released its new mini-album "WINTER HEPTAGON" on Jan. 20.
