On December 22, BlockBerry Creative released an official statement on the group's official fan community.
Through the statement, the agency announced their plans to postpone LOONA's comeback indefinitely; which was originally scheduled to take place on January 3, 2023.
Hello, this is BlockBerry Creative.
First, we would like to apologize to LOONA's fans for causing concerns with various events.
We also apologize to the public who has kept up with recent events, for causing fatigue.
After taking into consideration the comments and opinions of Orbits (LOONA's official fan club) and others, the agency has concluded that it would be meaningless to proceed with LOONA's comeback when numerous concerns surrounding the members remain unresolved.
As a result, it has been decided that the release of LOONA's 'The Origin Album [0]', which was set for release on January 3, 2023, will be postponed indefinitely.
Furthermore, we would like to take this moment to explain our position regarding the series of issues that many Orbits have raised.
The project of LOONA was the result of numerous efforts exerted over a long period of time.
Due to the fact that the project itself was much more large-scale compared to other K-pop groups, the project required significant investment and funding; and many times after the official launch of the group, we faced occasions where such efforts were not visible in the finished results.
Even after LOONA's project was launched, the agency required immense funding to sustain the group, more than the capacity of a relatively small-sized company; however, the agency held on believing that it was an agency's duty to handle the fee.
There were many other issues―including misunderstandings and false assumptions―surrounding payment for the artists.
The agency has always felt apologetic toward LOONA members for the fact that the group was not able to earn a sizeable profit since debut.
From the beginning, LOONA was a project which required the agency's unlimited investment and effort, and the members' trust and sacrifice, to reach an impossibly high break-even point.
It was indeed a reckless project by a small-sized agency with little resources, but thanks to the hard work of the members who believed in the agency, and the time that they sacrificed, we finally encountered a ray of hope this year; 6 years after the initial launch of LOONA.
It would be the best of scenario if LOONA could be recognized by the public as a group, but a frequent pattern in the case of big groups is that one or a few of the members become publicly known before the others; and it was also inevitable for the agency to provide greater support to the members who gained a certain amount of popularity.
The agency wished for all members of LOONA to continue their activities together, but unfortunately, one former member (Chuu) went against our expectations and showed a change of attitude.
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In order to account for the risks associated with the great investment made in sustaining the group, as well as to account for the team's future, the agency attempted to alter some aspects of the member's exclusive contract with her agreement, all in an effort to protect LOONA.
However, as you know, we did not meet good results.
Regardless of the failure and success of LOONA, we take pride in the fact that just the launch of such a massive-scale project itself marked a contribution to the history of K-pop.
We admit that the series of recent events are ultimately the result of our inadequacy; however, we will not stop in our efforts to protect LOONA and fulfill the members' dreams.
We are well aware that we cannot achieve these dreams without Orbits on our side.
Therefore, we promise to create an environment where all fans of LOONA can support LOONA with happiness in their hearts.
Once again, we sincerely apologize to fans, and we ask you to continue supporting the dreams and the futures of LOONA. Thank you.
(SBS Star)