PocketDol Studio, home to BAE173, has spoken up to refute UNCORE's claims that the management contract of the project group Close Your Eyes bans any activities outside of the project group. 

Previously, on January 10 KST, UNCORE, a JTBC-owned management label, issued a strong warning to the respective labels of the survival program contestants who won a spot in the project group Close Your Eyes. According to UNCORE, one specific agency has been attempting to organize separate activities for a member of Close Your Eyes, exercising a breach of contract and heavily interfering in the project group's activities. 

However, refuting UNCORE's claims, PocketDol Studio argued in an official statement, "UNCORE's claims are false. PocketDol Studio participated in the JTBC audition program 'Project 7' after receiving a request from the program's producers, and as a result, two PocketDol Studio trainees, J-Min (Jeon Min Wook) and Sakurada Kenshin, were selected as winners."

The studio further revealed, "When signing the program's original contract, PocketDol Studio confirmed that if trainees should win a spot in the project group, they would still be allowed to promote outside of the project group. The contract specifically stated, 'During the project group's promotion period of 36-months, the artist will prioritize the activities of this contract over other activities based on this clause. Should the artist have previously scheduled activities to which they are bound to by a contract, they must notify the management in advance so that these activities do not overlap with the project group's promotions, and schedules will be adjusted accordingly'." 

PocketDol Studio asserted that the label had already notified UNCORE of BAE173's plans to release an album and embark on an overseas tour, but UNCORE altered the contents of the contract after the members of Close Your Eyes were confirmed. PocketDol Studio further stated that the new contract sent by UNCORE was not signed when Close Your Eyes performed at the '39th Golden Disc Awards' in Japan. 

What greatly alarmed PocketDol Studio above all else was UNCORE's decision to prevent Jeon Min Wook and Sakurada Kenshin from contacting PocketDol Studio completely. However, according to PocketDol Studio, the label is currently fulfilling responsibilities as the legal guardian of Sakurada Kenshin, who is both a foreigner and a minor in South Korea. 

As a result, PocketDol Studio revealed that it was driven to file a missing person claim with the police on January 8 KST, when they could not contact Sakurada Kenshin. "UNCORE initially lied to the police and said that Jeon Min Wook and Sakurada Kenshin were with their parents. However, when the police contacted their parents, they learned that the two artists were in a practice room. After learning this, what little turst PocketDol Studio had left in UNCORE vanished," PocketDol said.

Finally, PocketDol Studio warned, "UNCORE originally informed the studio that the artists would be permitted to go back and forth between the project group's activities and other outside activities. The management then changed its mind after the final winners were revealed. If UNCORE does not admit these facts, then we will publicize the contents of the initial contract and proceed with legal action." 

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