Big Planet Staff Salary Non-Payment Controversy
Big Planet Made Entertainment (Big Planet), led by CEO Cha Ga-won, is failing to pay its approximately 80 employees their February salaries. Four days have passed since the payday, and employees are left worrying about their livelihoods without receiving their monthly wages. This appears to be the culmination of frequent salary payment delays that have been occurring since last November.
CEO Cha Ga-won has been securing short-term funds for months to pay employee salaries, but appears to have reached his financial limit. The company's balance is depleted, and all corporate accounts are frozen. Furthermore, the company has not been paying employees' four major insurance premiums and retirement pension contributions for several months.
광고 영역
At the center of this situation is CEO Cha Ga-won's unconventional management style. Cha merged Big Planet with INB100, but in the process, reportedly failed to settle billions of won with affiliated artists and owes over 10 billion won to partner companies. Personally, his "owner risk" is severe, with his home seized due to tax arrears and lawsuits filed against him for fraud.
※ 이 포스팅은 쿠팡 파트너스 활동의 일환으로 수수료를 제공받습니다.
Ultimately, Taemin (SHINee), a key artist, terminated his contract and left despite having remaining contract duration. This occurred because CEO Cha committed a significant oversight while proceeding with contracts with external companies without Taemin's consent. Cha is also withholding settlement payments amounting to billions of won from artists like Lee Seung-gi, The Boyz, and Baekhyun, in addition to Taemin.
Big Planet stated, "The February salaries for employees of One Hundred and INB100 have already been paid, and Big Planet Made Entertainment salaries are scheduled to be processed within five days." However, considering that almost all employees are under Big Planet and their number is approximately 80, it appears that the salaries of most employees are effectively unpaid. Concerns are growing that this situation could lead to a large-scale exodus of artists and employees.
