Super Junior's Kyuhyun Joins Antenna Without Signing Bonus, Prioritizes Group Activities

Super Junior's Kyuhyun revealed that he joined the agency Antenna without receiving a signing bonus.

On the October 3rd episode of KBS2's variety show 'Problem Child in House,' Super Junior members Shindong and Kyuhyun appeared as guests.

During the show, Shindong shared that he had renewed his contract with SM Entertainment for the third time. When asked if he wanted to include any special clauses, Shindong said, "I wanted to, but I couldn't. I thought about including a solo album clause, but it seemed a bit odd to include it just for myself, so I left it out."

Shindong then jokingly suggested that Kyuhyun received a huge signing bonus from Antenna. Kim Jong-kook chimed in, asking, "Did Yoo Jae-suk give it to you?"

Kyuhyun clarified, "I joined without a signing bonus. I told them I wanted to prioritize Super Junior activities, and they said, 'That's a given.'"

He continued, "Antenna doesn't take a share of the profits from Super Junior activities. It's a loss for them because they have to let their artist work with another company without any profit. But they said, 'It's your starting team, so of course.'"

Antenna is led by Yoo Hee-yeol, and when Yoo Jae-suk signed an exclusive contract with the agency in 2021, there were rumors of a 10 billion won signing bonus. Industry sources estimated his signing bonus to be between 10 billion and 20 billion won, including various options.

At the time, Yoo Hee-yeol explained on 'Hangout with Yoo' that Yoo Jae-suk wanted to sign without a bonus, but he opposed it, saying, "He's the top player in Korea, and if he joins without a signing bonus, it sets a precedent for future recruits." In 2023, Yoo Jae-suk acquired a 20.7% stake in Antenna, becoming the third-largest shareholder.