Okay fam — Dispatch just published a contract leak that’s got the fandom heated. According to the report, trainees from Mnet’s Boys II Planet were reportedly put under an exclusive CJ ENM/WakeOne deal that lasts five years after debut, plus an additional mandatory “special activity” year — effectively six years of control with very limited freedom.
Here are the key points from the leaked contract:
- 5-year exclusive management with CJ ENM and subsidiary WakeOne after debut (no solo promotions allowed during that time).
- An extra 1-year clause requiring the group to release one single and do at least one performance within that sixth year.
- CJ ENM reserved the right to sign eliminated contestants and place them into other groups — meaning non-finalists could still be kept under CJ management and restricted from re-debuting elsewhere.
- Contract language explicitly states final members may only perform as part of the group for the five-year promotional period.
Fans and critics are calling these terms unusually restrictive compared to past Mnet project groups: for context, Wanna One promoted for about 1.5 years and ZEROBASEONE for roughly 2.5 years, so a five-plus-one year term is a significant difference.
Quick fan-side context:
- Boys II Planet is an Mnet survival show produced by CJ ENM that forms a project boy group from contestants on the program.
- WakeOne is a CJ ENM subsidiary that manages many of the company’s male artists and project groups.
- Dispatch is a Korean outlet known for scoops and document-based reporting; this piece is based on contract copies they published.
Bottom line: if the documents are accurate, several trainees face years of limited control over their careers — and even eliminated contestants aren’t guaranteed freedom. No wonder social media is buzzing.
Source: Koreaboo