Updated June 11 KST:

A representative of Samuel responded to Brave Entertainment’s latest statement released on June 11. They told Xportsnews after reading the statement, “They say that our arguments are lies, but it seems that will be argued in court.” They added that they have no plans to issue a separate statement in response to Brave Entertainment.

In regards to the agency’s accusation that Samuel had only carried out part of his scheduled activities, they stated, “The contract termination already took place in March. There were talks several times about his schedule after that.” They continued, “He will carry out his schedule that was arranged before that, but no agreement was reached about his schedule after that. A complaint was filed on May 20, and it was even confirmed that it was delivered, so there is no further obligation.”

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Original Article:

Brave Entertainment has released an official response to the claims made by Samuel’s representatives regarding the conflict between him and the agency.

Through their legal representative Chaeum, Brave Entertainment released a rebuttal to the statements by Samuel’s lawyer and mother that reads as follows:

Hello, this is Brave Entertainment’s legal representative Chaeum. We wish to give Brave Entertainment’s response to statements made by Samuel’s representatives.

Samuel’s representatives claimed that Brave Entertainment forced the artist to participate in activities related to the private business of the agency’s CEO and that the artist did not receive a proper income statement. However, we wish to prove that this is completely untrue. The details of our rebuttal are as follows.

First, the claim that the artist was forcibly involved in promoting the agency’s CEO’s private business is untrue.

It is true that Brave Entertainment’s CEO is participating in a business that utilizes blockchain technology on a music streaming service platform, and Samuel was scheduled to perform at a music platform expo as an artist of Brave Entertainment.

However, the above business is completely different from cryptocurrency, also known as the coin industry, which is becoming a social issue for its speculative nature. Also, Samuel’s performance at the mentioned blockchain-related event was not to promote the above business or for the CEO to gain personal wealth, it was to provide more exposure to Samuel in an industry combining music with the latest technology as Brave Entertainment’s rising K-pop star.

In order for Samuel to perform at the event, Brave Entertainment signed a standard contract for events and concerts, and Samuel participated in the event and was given the compensation stated in the contract. Samuel’s representative claimed that Brave Entertainment showed them fake contracts multiple times, but Brave Entertainment has never drafted a fake contract, and the entire process, from signing the contract to the event to making the payment for Samuel’s participation, was all done legally.

Not only this, but the agency’s CEO spoke with Samuel’s mother from before he left for Japan for the performance, and thoroughly explained to her that the event was not to promote cryptocurrency but was instead to promote Samuel on the new music platform, and the schedule was carried out with explicit consent of Samuel’s mother. In this process, Brave Entertainment has never once “forced” Samuel to do anything. We have not involved Samuel in any cryptocurrency business, not just the one stated above. We have evidence, including all text messages exchanged at the time, to support our stance.

Therefore, the claim that the agency’s CEO forcibly involved Samuel in his private business is completely untrue.

Second, Samuel’s representative claims that Brave Entertainment admitted to fault regarding the above event. However, the truth is that a misunderstanding had occurred amongst some fans who believed that Samuel was participating in a cryptocurrency business, and Brave Entertainment released a statement to better communicate to fans the exact nature of the event and correct the misunderstanding. This in no way is the agency admitting to fault for any wrongdoing. That statement is still up in its entirety on the Brave Entertainment-run fan cafe.

Third, Samuel’s representatives state that they did not receive a proper income statement. However, not only has Brave Entertainment delivered the income statements to Samuel’s parents as per their request, the agency has also provided other documents on other activities the agency provided for Samuel including vocal and dance training, foreign language education, and personal training. Samuel’s father has personally visited the agency building to confirm the contents of such documents. However, there was a difference in opinion regarding the specific payment amount, and Samuel’s mother requested that Brave Entertainment send her an income statement that reflected her opinion of what she believed was right.

Brave Entertainment provided Samuel’s mother with a detailed income statement that showed the costs of album production, marketing, and other expenses that we paid as Samuel’s management company, as well as income from concerts, album sales, and events. We also gave her a detailed explanation of the income statement.

However, despite there being no unjustifiable content in the income statement, Samuel’s mother requested the agency pay an excessive sum of money that did not take into consideration production costs, and she refused to accept the income statement given by the agency.

Fourth, Samuel’s representative claimed that they sent content certification documents in March 2019 with a request to receive a response in two weeks, and they also claimed that Brave Entertainment only sent them a response after two months, but this is not true.

On March 5, 2019, Samuel’s mother sent a document of content certification through legal representatives to unilaterally terminate the contract, and Brave Entertainment received that document on March 7, 2019 and after speaking with their legal counsel, they sent a response on March 21, 2019, exactly two weeks after the documents were received. Therefore, the claim that the agency took almost two months to send a response is completely untrue.

Fifth, claims were made that Samuel participated in all of his scheduled activities, but this is not true.

Samuel’s mother would choose which scheduled activities were to her liking, and have Samuel only participate in the activities she chose. For all other activities, Samuel did not show up and Brave Entertainment incurred damages from breaching contracts for overseas performances.

Brave Entertainment staff spoke with Samuel’s representatives multiple times to give a detailed explanation for activities that had been scheduled before the document of content certification had been sent. This included recording a logo song for a broadcasting company, overseas promotions that had already been notified to fans, and awards shows where Samuel was set to win an award. However, Samuel’s mother unilaterally refused to allow her son to attend those events without giving a proper explanation for her refusal.

As explained, the situation is different from the claims made by Samuel’s representatives in many aspects, and Brave Entertainment will do its best to correct any information. We plan to also seek legal action for the damages the agency has suffered due to false information.

Brave Entertainment is saddened by the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the artist and his family, as the agency has been through all of his highs and lows till now. Also, the agency finds it very unfortunate that this incident has caused many people a great deal of concern. Brave Entertainment will do all it can through the legal process to resolve this situation.

Thank you.