Controversy Surrounds Forced Exit of Japanese Members from 'Korean-Japanese Top Ten Show'

Japanese members of MBN's 'Korean-Japanese Top Ten Show' have been forced to exit the program.

According to an exclusive report by TenAsia on the 5th, Japanese cast members Fukuda Mirai, Utagokoro Rie, Azuma Aki, Makoto, Sumida Aiko, Natsuko, and Kanou Miyu were recently informed by the production team of their abrupt removal from the show. Industry insiders suggest that the reason for their forced exit is their affiliation with nCH Entertainment.

On October 24th, after a recording session, the production team reportedly informed the Japanese members that it was their last recording and wished them well for the future. Writers and staff from 'Korean-Japanese Top Ten Show' were present during this announcement.

The last appearance of the Japanese members was on October 25th. In the following episode on November 2nd, only Azuma Aki, among the Japanese TOP7, appeared on the show. Although Azuma Aki is also affiliated with nCH, the 'Korean-Japanese Top Ten Show' reportedly reached out to her personally for additional appearances.

However, Utagokoro Rie and Azuma Aki still have one or two more recordings left. After the 'Korean-Japanese King of Singers' recording in Japan at the end of November, they participated in behind-the-scenes filming with Korean members. This was reportedly a sudden request from the 'Korean-Japanese Top Ten Show' team, but the members agreed to participate for the sake of the program.

Regarding the situation, the 'Korean-Japanese Top Ten Show' stated, "The Japanese members have become very popular, and their schedules are hectic. They will appear whenever their schedules allow. In fact, their agency is not providing filming schedules," explaining the reason for their exit.

nCH Entertainment commented, "On October 24th, the production team bid farewell to the members, calling it their 'last recording.' It was sudden and bewildering. The members are eager to continue with the program and are still disappointed."

They further emphasized, "In Rie's case, she is a mother, so there are times she cannot attend, but this is not the case for the other members. They were abruptly informed of their exit from a program they appeared on weekly."

According to an exclusive report by this publication in October, the production company of 'Korean-Japanese Top Ten Show,' Crea Studio, is in a legal dispute with nCH Entertainment, the agency of the Japanese members. The conflict centers around concert and management rights for 'Current King of Singers 2.'

Crea Studio sold concert performance rights and management rights to nCH Entertainment, but nCH sold part of the performance rights to another entertainment company for venue management. Crea claims this was a "breach of contract" as they did not agree to the third-party transfer.

nCH counters, "There is no breach of contract," stating that "the sale of performance rights is valid under the contract, and Crea was aware of the partial sale. However, five months into the contract, Crea forced a termination agreement, and upon refusal, unilaterally terminated the concert and management contract."

As a result, the 'Current King of Singers 2' concert is also in jeopardy. With ongoing legal battles over performance IP and management rights, the future of the 'Current King of Singers 2' concert remains uncertain, according to industry insiders.

Reported by Ryu Yeji, TenAsia ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr