BAE173 member Jimin has announced his decision to suspend his activities with the group. He expressed his desire to focus on his new group, Close Your Eyes, which is set to debut in April. This decision has sparked controversy, as BAE173’s agency, PocketDol Studio, claims that Jimin is in violation of his contract.

According to TenAsia's investigation on the 3rd, Jimin informed PocketDol Studio and the other BAE173 members last month that he wanted to end his activities with BAE173. A member of BAE173, referred to as A, shared with TenAsia:

"Jimin said he wanted to focus on Close Your Eyes and stop participating in BAE173 activities. We were really upset when we heard that. But he seemed very determined, and we couldn’t stop him."

Jimin’s contract with PocketDol for his BAE173 activities runs until 2027. However, the contract he is considering for his Close Your Eyes activities is for three years, extending beyond his current BAE173 contract period. By the time Jimin finishes his Close Your Eyes activities, BAE173 may already be on hiatus.

A continued, "It would be great to do team activities with Jimin, but if he wants to leave, what can we do? He felt bad about it, and I just told him to do what he wanted." A also added, "We’re going to do our best as the remaining members. Opportunities for comebacks don’t come for everyone," hinting that BAE173 is planning a new album for a comeback around April or May. A also mentioned, "Since Jimin announced his decision to suspend his activities, we haven’t been in contact with him." Jimin also did not attend the BAE173 fan signing event on the 10th of last month.

Jimin had previously been selected as one of the seven members of Close Your Eyes through JTBC’s survival audition program Project 7 last month. At that time, he was still a member of BAE173, which debuted in 2020.

After his selection for Close Your Eyes, a dispute arose between PocketDol and Close Your Eyes' agency, Uncore, regarding his contract.

On the 8th of last month, PocketDol filed a missing persons report with the police around 7 PM, claiming they could not locate their artist. Just 20 hours later, on the 9th at 3 PM, Jimin met with other BAE173 members and PocketDol representatives at the agency’s office. A explained, "At that meeting, Jimin expressed that he didn’t want to continue activities with BAE173."

PocketDol has also claimed that recent statements from the Project 7 team differ from what was originally agreed upon before the program started. A PocketDol representative stated, "The pre-show contract stated that if Jimin was selected as a final member of the new group, he would still be able to continue his existing activities. But in the contract after the selection, it says he must stop his current activities." The representative added, "If Jimin proceeds with suspending his BAE173 activities, we will take legal action for breaching the contract."

Uncore, on the other hand, disputes the claim of a contract violation. An Uncore representative stated, "Suspending BAE173 activities is not a breach of contract," adding, "All participants and agencies involved in Project 7 were fully aware that if a contestant was selected as a member of the project group, they could not engage in other activities without Uncore's prior approval."

Jimin's side did not respond to inquiries about whether he had truly expressed his intention to suspend his BAE173 activities. A manager working with Jimin for Close Your Eyes also declined to comment, saying, "It’s hard to discuss the contract issue. There’s no reason to respond to an interview request."

Close Your Eyes is a group formed from the top seven contestants of Project 7 and is signed under Uncore, a company founded jointly by SLL, the content creation division of the Central Group, and YG Entertainment’s subsidiary, YG PLUS.