BAE173's Jaimin Halts Group Activities Amid Contract Issues

Jaimin of the K-pop group BAE173 has announced a pause in his group activities. The group's agency, Pocketdol Studio, stated that the remaining members will continue to focus on their endeavors. Jaimin debuted as a member of BAE173 in 2020 and re-debuted with the group Close Your Eyes (클로즈유어아이즈) after finishing third in JTBC's 'Project 7' last year. However, he has encountered contractual complications with Pocketdol and the management company Uncore. To participate in activities with Close Your Eyes, Jaimin would need to sign a three-year contract with Uncore, which conflicts with his existing contract with Pocketdol that runs until 2027. Consequently, Jaimin expressed his desire to concentrate on Close Your Eyes instead of BAE173, a request that was accepted by both the agency and his fellow members. Notably, he also missed a fan signing event on January 10. BAE173 is expected to make a comeback with a new album around April to May. Separately, Pocketdol and Uncore are currently in a dispute over participant contracts, with Uncore claiming that Pocketdol violated an agreement regarding activities outside the project group without prior approval. Pocketdol, on the other hand, argues that Uncore changed its stance after initially inviting participants to the audition.