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In a press conference on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, OMEGA X revealed several incidents of abuse they experienced at the hands of SPIRE Entertainment’s former CEO, Kang Seung-hee. One of the threats entailed withholding the release or work of their next album if they denied drinking alcohol at a party.
Revealing the injustice they faced at office drinking parties, a member said (as per translation via Koreaboo):
“She (CEO Kang) even said that if we refused to attend drinking gatherings, there would be no next album.”
Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of s*xual abuse.
OMEGA X opens up about the abuse and threats they faced while under CEO Kang’s leadership in SPIRE Entertainment
After nearly a month of turmoil and abuse being made public, OMEGA X personally addressed the many struggles they faced via a press conference. The group went live on their personal Instagram account and attended the event with their legal representatives, Noh Jong-Eun and Seo Yoo-yeon, on November 16.
OMEGA X members brought other hidden abuses to light and stated that they will take strong legal action against CEO Kang. One of the incidents they shared was of the female CEO forcing members to drink alcohol at office gathering parties. If the members refused to do so, the CEO would threaten them with the release of their next album release, saying that “there would be no next album.”
The VAMOS group was lured into drinking or penalized for not drinking in other ways. OMEGA X’s Hangyeom mentioned that they would receive gifts if and when they drank after the CEO’s coercion, but when they refused, they were treated coldly.
“There were many such incidents that have popped up at drinking gatherings. If we drank on her behalf (Black Knight), we would get presents, but if we didn’t, CEO Kang would either glare at us or treat us coldly. There were many such undercurrents.” (translation via Koreaboo)
Another member, Yechan, mentioned that the group was often gaslighted during such drinking sessions. This was also when some members were inappropriately touched, stated lawyer Seo Soo-yeon.
These drunken party sessions are one of the reasons that have given rise to anxiety issues. Hangyeom shared that he would continuously receive drunk calls, which has worsened his anxiety.
OMEGA X reveal they received no apology
OMEGA X members revealed that they were never given a sincere apology. This goes against the apology notice that SPIRE Entertainment released on November 7, which was also the day they announced that CEO Kang had resigned from her position.
Junghoon mentioned that the group was yet to receive any sincere apology. However, he said, they were threatened again with some made-up statements.
“After the LA incident, we feel we have yet to receive a sincere apology. Instead (the CEO) brought up our military duties and threatened us with a falsified statement of accounts. I felt that it was impossible to speak (to them).”
The group’s lawyer Noh Jong-eun added that SPIRE Entertainment threatened that each OMEGA X member owed 400 million KRW in debt due to the falsified statements, YTN reported.
Meanwhile, scores of international and South Korean K-pop fans, irrespective of which fandom they belong to, have come together to support the group with the hashtag ProtectOmegaX.
