A poster for the Sechskies year-end performance. [Mountain Movement Story]
A poster for the Sechskies year-end performance. [Mountain Movement Story]

A year-end dinner show by K-pop group Sechskies, which had drawn controversy on multiple fronts, was canceled after member Lee Jae-jin announced he would not take part.

Mountain Movement Story, the event organizer and agency of Ko Ji-yong, announced Tuesday that the dinner show — titled "The Tree in Inspire: Sechskies' Untold Stories" — would be called off.

The performance had been scheduled for December in Incheon, featuring three of Sechskies' five members: Lee Jae-jin, Jang Su-won and Ko Ji-yong.

The event unraveled after Lee abruptly declared on his social media Tuesday that he would not appear.

Lee claimed he had learned that the organizer was collecting ticket payments into a personal bank account, and that he had demanded refunds and transparent ticket sales but the issues went unresolved, prompting his decision to withdraw. Lee said the decision was made out of concern for fans.

"I conveyed my intention not to participate to the organizer on multiple occasions," Lee said. "Negotiations over my appearance did not lead to a final contract, and I did not sign any such agreement."

Lee also said some media reports had portrayed him as having personally planned or driven the Inspire event, calling that characterization false. He called on the organizer to "immediately stop using my photos and name in promotional materials and to correct any existing promotional content that suggested my participation was confirmed."

Mountain Movement Story rebuffed Lee's account, saying Ko had received a proposal from Lee the previous summer to hold an event together. "At first there was talk of a busking event, and it later grew into a three-person event after Jang Su-won joined," the agency said.

The agency said it reconfirmed Lee's intention to participate on Thursday before publicly announcing the show on Friday, only for Lee to reverse course and say he would not appear on Saturday.

Mountain Movement Story said it was working with those involved to restructure the event and minimize harm to fans, but Jang Su-won's side subsequently announced the cancellation through the official fan cafe of J-Walk, the group Jang formed with Kim Jae-deok.

The show had drawn criticism from the moment it was announced. Ticket prices of up to 890,000 won ($663) were called excessive, though organizers countered that the price included hotel accommodation. The absence of Sechskies members Eun Ji-won and Kim Jae-deok, alongside the inclusion of Ko — who had left the group — also sparked backlash. Ko's reported financial difficulties following a divorce, said to be severe enough that child support payments could not be met, drew criticism that the event was exploiting the nostalgia of longtime fans for profit.


paq@heraldcorp.com