GOT7's Youngjae Says Musical Payment Still Unresolved After Nearly a Year

GOT7's Youngjae is publicly pressing the producer of musical "Dream High 2" over unpaid appearance fees. The singer says the money he is owed has now gone unresolved for nearly a year.

On July 20, Youngjae posted on his social media accounts asking for payment. "Please settle up," he wrote. "And have a good Monday." Along with the message, he re-posted a longer statement he had first shared in June about the unpaid fees.

In that earlier post, Youngjae wrote that the producer had said the matter would be cleared up by June 9, but that nothing had been resolved as of the day he wrote. "Even as the person who is supposed to be paid, every time I reach out, I'm told, 'Didn't we say when we'd pay you? Please keep waiting a little longer,'" he said. "Once August hits, it will have been almost a year without a proper settlement."

He also pushed back on how the situation has been framed. "Please don't say the payment is being made just because a small portion of what I'm owed has been paid out bit by bit," he wrote. "Did I ask for money unfairly? Are the hours I spent rehearsing, the effort, that whole process nothing? I don't even know how many times I've heard 'we'll settle it within this month.'"

Kim Eun-ha, the head of Art One Company, previously addressed the issue in June. "We have amicably agreed with GOT7's Youngjae's side to complete the settlement of the remaining unpaid amount within June," she said. "We are placing our promise with the actor first and intend to finish the settlement within the agreed period."

Youngjae's latest post suggests that timeline was not met. His decision to raise the issue publicly again, in his own name and on his own accounts, points to how rarely K-pop artists at his level speak out on payment disputes with production companies. It also puts fresh attention on how appearance fees are handled in the Korean musical theater industry, where casting an idol often drives ticket sales but back-end settlement can stretch on long after a run ends.