Singer Jo Kwon. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) provided]
Singer Jo Kwon. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) provided]

Jo Kwon, a member of the group 2AM, has revealed that the first royalty settlement he received from JYP Entertainment after his debut was 240,000 won ($155).

A video titled "SM vs. JYP Dance Style Showdown — Finally Face to Face" was uploaded to the YouTube channel "Saego_F5" on Monday.

The video featured 2AM's Jo Kwon, 2PM's Jun. K and GOT7's JAY B in a candid conversation with Changmin of Dong Bang Shin Ki.

During the exchange, Changmin asked the three former JYP artists about their first settlement payments.

Jo Kwon explained that he had trained as a trainee for about eight years, meaning the company had invested a significant amount in him. "Around 2008, after my debut, the law changed a bit — through the Korea Fair Trade Commission. From that point on, the costs of investing in trainees were fully borne by the company. But in my time, it wasn't the company's burden — I had to pay it back to the company," he said.

He added that he received his first settlement exactly three years after his debut. "Those three years were when 'Kkabkwon' and 'We Got Married' were blowing up," he said, recalling that the settlement statement carried no negative balance. "I called my mom right away and told her, 'I think I've paid off all the debt.'"

"I got back to the dorm after work and checked the statement — it was 240,000 won. I was so grateful for that 240,000 won," Jo Kwon said. "The very next day I ran straight to a phone carrier store and paid my phone bill for the first time with money I had earned myself. That was my first settlement."


choigo@heraldcorp.com