Will he be able to debut with the new group as planned?
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J1, or Yu Junwon, better known as a pre-debut member of FANTASY BOYS, found himself a new agency to call home—and it is already speaking out for the troubled idol amid his ongoing legal battle with his former agency, Phunky Studio.
| @junw0nel/Instagram
On June 5, 2026 (KST), Yu Junwon’s new agency, CONTI Inc, released an additional statement addressing the damages lawsuit currently underway between Yu Junwon and Phunky Studio. “Yu Junwon is currently involved in a damages lawsuit with Funky Studio,” the agency stated, before emphasizing that the lawsuit should not be used to stop the artist from continuing his career.
The agency also noted that Yu Junwon had spent the past three years focusing on the lawsuit without signing with or negotiating with any other agency.
Hello. This is CONTI Inc.
We are sharing our additional statement regarding the issue involving Yu Junwon.
Yu Junwon is currently involved in a lawsuit over damages with Phunky Studio. To clarify the facts, during discussions of an exclusive contract between Yu Junwon and Phunky Studio, there was a disagreement over a supplementary agreement that would deduct fixed labor costs for 17 people over 5 years. The discussions ultimately fell through, and no exclusive contract was signed. Phunky Studio filed a damages lawsuit despite the fact that no contract had been established.
A damages lawsuit is only a procedure to recover financial losses and cannot be used to prohibit the artist’s activities. It is difficult to understand the claim that he should stop all activities and not even attempt any new challenges simply because a damages lawsuit is ongoing. From our position, we cannot help but question whether what Phunky Studio wants is damages compensation, or whether it wants Yu Junwon to be unable to engage in any activities at all.
For the past three years, Yu Junwon has faithfully participated in the lawsuit without signing with, or even negotiating with, a single agency. If telling a young man who has dreamed of becoming an idol since his teens to do nothing until the lawsuit is over is considered industry ethics, we cannot help but ask whether those industry ethics stand above the law. No one has the right to infringe on an individual’s right to work.
Yu Junwon feels sorry for causing fatigue over a long period of time due to his legal dispute with Phunky Studio. We ask for your warm support so that Yu Junwon can protect his rights and do his best as he begins new activities.
Lastly, as his agency, it is our natural duty to protect the artist’s legitimate activities. We will not only support Yu Junwon so that he can carry out normal entertainment activities in the future, but also do our utmost to protect him so that this kind of harm does not occur again.
— CONTI
Previously, Funky Studio filed a ₩3.00 billion KRW (about $1.92 million USD) damages lawsuit against Yu Junwon, claiming that he had abandoned his obligation to promote as a member of the debut group from MBC’s Fantasy Boys: My Teenage Boy Season 2 and left the dorm without permission.
Amid the ongoing lawsuit, Yu Junwon announced that he had signed an exclusive contract with the newly established agency. In response, Phunky Studio stated that deciding on a new agency and proceeding with related activities before a final ruling had been made “thoroughly disregards industry ethics and contractual order,” and announced plans for strong legal action.
Read more about the lawsuit here:
Rebellious Trainee With Cancelled Debut Will Now Debut In A New K-Pop Group