Jannabi Issues Apology After Collaboration with Former Member Linked to School Violence Controversy

The South Korean band Jannabi (잔나비) has publicly apologized after it was revealed that they had been working with former member Yoo Young-hyun (유영현), who left the group amid allegations of school violence.

On November 25, 2024, Jannabi's agency, Pepo Music (페포니뮤직), announced through their official fan cafe that they would no longer be collaborating with Yoo Young-hyun in any capacity.

Pepo Music's CEO, Choi Jeong-jun (최정준), expressed regret over the situation, stating, "The process of communicating this matter to our fans was not handled appropriately. We have disappointed many fans due to poor judgment and inadequate responses."

Yoo Young-hyun faced backlash in 2019 when allegations of school violence surfaced on an online community platform. Following the controversy, he decided to leave Jannabi and the agency released a statement acknowledging his past actions and noting that he had reached out to the accuser and their family to offer a sincere apology.

However, it was recently discovered that Yoo Young-hyun had been working as a sound engineer at Jannabi's performances and rehearsals, prompting some fans to voice their concerns. In response, the agency faced criticism for removing protesting fans from the fan cafe, which escalated the situation.

In his statement, Choi Jeong-jun clarified that there was never an intention to hide or cover up the collaboration, explaining, "We wanted to provide a detailed explanation after the ongoing issues regarding Yoo Young-hyun's past were resolved." He also denied that Yoo Young-hyun was involved in any music production for Jannabi and warned of legal action against those spreading false information.

Member Choi Jeong-hoon (최정훈) also expressed his apologies, stating, "I want to apologize for trying to include him in our staff through an inappropriate process."