Members of the K-pop group X1 have yet to receive payment since their debut. Reports have it that the 11 members worked for five months as members of the reality show-produced group but they never received even a single penny out of it.
Some sources revealed to Ilgan Sports (via Koreaboo) that the agencies of the X1 members have asked Produce X 101 producer CJ ENM several times to settle the payments for X1's activities. However, the company has yet to confirm the payment for the members.
Produce 101 is a boy group survival reality show that was backed by CJ ENM. Its last season, Produce X 101, was aired on Mnet last year.
About 101 trainees from different entertainment companies joined the competition. In the end, 11 trainees were voted as members of the new boy group, called X1.
However, before the group's debut on August 27, the show has been accused of voting manipulation. X1 ultimately disbanded on January 6, 2020, after selling out over 600,000 albums and performing at a sold-out concert at the Gocheok Sky Dome.
Following X1's disbandment, CJ ENM CEO Heo Min Hee said the company would take full responsibility for the events that led to the group's short-lived career. However, the issue of payment for the group's activities has still yet to be resolved.
A PR rep of Mnet, on the other hand, explained after X1 disbanded, some things need to be sorted out and it takes time to settle everything out. On the issue of the K-pop fund that CJ ENM CEO Heo Min Hee stated, the Mnet rep said it would be used to grow K-Pop as a whole.
However, the K-pop insiders commented that CJ ENM and Mnet should focus on resolving their issues with X1 and showing support to another Produce 101 produced group IZ*ONE before thinking about focusing their assets on the rest of the K-pop industry.
Meanwhile, CJ ENM responded to the report and stated that they will be sending a statement of account to each of the members' agencies starting today. It added that they continuously talk to the X1 member's agency regarding the issue of payment.
"We have been talking continuously with each of the members' labels on settling accounts. We will be sending the statement of accounts to each label today, and handle things step by step from there," CJ ENM said in a statement.
