MADEIN confirms Gaeun’s departure amid sexual harassment allegations against its CEO

Last update:November 29, 2024, 1:27 pm CEST

MADEIN will continue with its remaining six members: Mashiro, MiU, Suhye, Yeseo, Serina and Nagomi.

MADEIN debuted in September. (Photo source: Instagram)

K-pop girl group MADEIN’s agency, 143 Entertainment, confirmed Gaeun’s departure from the group on Friday, November 29 at midnight KST. This comes days after the company’s CEO was allegedly accused of sexually harassing one of the members of the rookie group. In the latest announcement, the agency said that the 19-year-old K-pop the idol left the group for personal reasons, ending her time in MADEIN just two months after their debut.

According to a report by Soompi, 143 Entertainment said: “MADEIN member Gaeun has officially left the band as of today. Since her debut in September last year, Gaeun has put a lot of effort into MADEIN, but due to her personal situation, it became increasingly difficult for her to continue with the band and it was decided that she would leave the group.”

The agency further announced that MADEIN will continue working with the remaining six members: Mashiro, MiU, Suhye, Yeseo, Serina and Nagomi. They will soon resume their interrupted activities.

143 Entertainment also addressed the recent sexual harassment allegations made against its CEO. Their statement reads: “We have some clear evidence that these claims are false. Therefore, if any legal issues arise, we will address them with the utmost sincerity and ensure that no doubts remain. We are very sorry for delivering such difficult news to our fans.” They then asked fans to continue supporting both Gaeun and MADEIN in their future activities.

Gaeun’s departure from the group comes just days after JTBC’s current affairs program Crime Chief published a report revealing that a member of the debut girl group was allegedly sexually harassed by the agency’s CEO. In the disclosure, the fifth-generation member of the K-pop girl group shared disturbing details of the incident.

Although the show did not name the girl or agency, viewers noticed that the show featured a blurry video of one of MADEIN’s performances. This subtle hint led to speculation that the people in question were MADEIN and its agency, 143 Entertainment. Moreover, the group’s description also matched that of MADEIN.

Shortly after the program aired, the agency issued a statement saying: “First, there was no sexual harassment or other sexual contact resulting from abuse of power between the CEO and the member mentioned in the program, and we inform you that the report is not true “

143 Entertainment mentioned that the content reported on the show was based on false statements made by other people and not the member in question. “We once again clearly inform you that these claims are baseless,” the agency added.

MADEIN debuted in September with an EP titled Rise.