Before CLOSE YOUR EYES debuted, two agencies were already fighting over where Jeon Minwook and Sakurada Kenshin were allowed to work. Then the words “missing-person report” entered the story. Rookie rollout, but make it a legal thriller.
What PocketDol said
PocketDol Studio argued that Minwook and Kenshin should be permitted to continue activities connected to their original company while promoting with the PROJECT 7 group. It accused UNCORE of blocking contact and withholding dorm information. Because Kenshin was a minor, PocketDol said it filed a missing-person report.
What UNCORE said
UNCORE said the seven winners signed an exclusive group-management agreement for thirty-six months and that PocketDol’s proposed parallel schedule could interfere with CLOSE YOUR EYES promotions. It also rejected the framing that members had been cut off without cause.
That distinction matters. “A missing-person report was filed” is documented. “A member was kidnapped” is not. Internet retellings love to sprint across that gap wearing platform boots.
Why this mattered
Project groups already live on a clock. Every delayed rehearsal, divided schedule, and agency argument eats into a fixed activity period. Minwook also had an existing identity through BAE173, while Kenshin entered the situation as a minor trainee. The dispute exposed the awkward machinery behind a lineup that fans had just voted into existence.
The group still debuted on April 2, 2025 and earned a music-show win six days later. That does not make the pre-debut fight irrelevant. It makes the clean stage photos look even more miraculous.
RaeRae take
I understand why an original agency does not want to lose access to its artists. I also understand why a project-group manager cannot run a seven-member schedule while another company keeps reaching through the window. What I do not enjoy is watching young performers become the rope in a corporate tug-of-war.
Keep digging
Meet all seven members on the group page, then watch their giant “SOB” performance.