Singer MC Mong (left) and Cha Ga-won, chairman of One Hundred Label. [Yonhap]
Singer MC Mong (left) and Cha Ga-won, chairman of One Hundred Label. [Yonhap]

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has launched a comprehensive wage inspection of One Hundred Label, an entertainment agency that has been struggling financially and failing to pay its employees on time.

The ministry's Seoul Gangnam branch said Tuesday it has been conducting a full wage arrears investigation and inspection of One Hundred and two affiliated companies since May.

Such a comprehensive probe goes beyond the complaints of individual workers who filed reports — it examines unpaid wages across all employees at the workplace, not just those who came forward.

One Hundred employees began filing multiple wage complaints with the ministry in April.

One Hundred was co-founded in 2023 by Chairman Cha Ga-won and singer MC Mong. MC Mong has since left the company amid a management dispute, and several artists on the agency's roster — including Lee Seung-gi, Lee Mu-jin and Chen Baekhyun Xiumin — have filed exclusive contract disputes, claiming they have not received settlement payments owed to them.

One Hundred has reportedly failed to pay out roughly 10 billion won ($6.59 million) in total, covering artist settlement payments, employee wages and fees owed to outside contractors.

Allegations have emerged that the company's financial troubles may stem from embezzlement of corporate funds. MBC's "PD Notebook" previously aired a report raising suspicions that large sums spent on overseas gambling trips by MC Mong and Cha — who the program alleged had an extramarital affair — may have been diverted from company accounts.

The Seoul Gangnam branch said it plans to focus its administrative resources on closely examining the agency's cash flow and ability to pay, with the goal of ensuring workers receive the wages they are owed.


paq@heraldcorp.com