[Full Text] "Eight Hellish Months"... Yoon Hee-seok Reveals Conflicts with Limitless Members and Agency

Yoon Hee-seok. Photo by Limitless SNS

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Amid ongoing controversy following former AOA member Kwon Mina's revelation of being bullied by a fellow member, former member Yoon Hee-seok of the rookie boy group Limitless has exposed rumors of discord.

On the 10th, former Limitless member Yoon Hee-seok posted on his Instagram, "I suffered considerable pain due to discord among members, including instigation and verbal abuse. I experienced severe depression, anxiety disorder, and panic disorder."

Yoon Hee-seok said he informed the CEO of his agency, O&N Entertainment, about this, stating, "I tearfully told him how much I was struggling. However, the CEO ignored everything."

In response, O&N released an official statement on the 11th, saying there are parts of Yoon Hee-seok's claims that differ from the facts.

O&N stated, "We will no longer comment on the reasons for Hee-seok's withdrawal as it involves personal matters."

Regarding Yoon Hee-seok's claim that the contract termination was delayed, the agency said, "We repeatedly requested Hee-seok to proceed with the contract termination and related procedures."

Meanwhile, Limitless is a group formed in July last year, including Yoon Hee-seok and Jang Moon-bok, both of whom participated in Mnet's audition program 'Produce 101 Season 2.' Yoon Hee-seok announced his departure from the team via Instagram in May.

Below is the full text of Yoon Hee-seok's Instagram post.

Please understand if my writing is disorganized as I am currently in a very unstable state.

I did not want to write this much, and I have endured for almost a year, but I have no other choice but to write now.

When I joined the company and was preparing to debut, the company that merged with ours went bankrupt, lessons stopped, and we had no practice room. Despite these harsh conditions, we voluntarily gathered with the sole determination to achieve our dream, and in July 2019, we debuted as the group Limitless.

After the dreamlike first activities ended, I was suddenly informed of the addition of two Chinese members, and shortly after, I suffered considerable pain due to instigation and verbal abuse caused by discord with the members at that time.

I wanted to restore relationships with the members, but it did not go smoothly, and living in the dormitory with no one to confide in, my mental health worsened. I told the CEO several times that I was struggling due to these negative issues.

However, it was ultimately ignored, with the response being that they were always like that and I should endure it.

In December last year, unable to endure any longer, I told the CEO about these situations and expressed my desire to leave the team.

The CEO listened to me, acknowledged all my efforts, said he was well aware of the members' problems, and promised to terminate my contract after the concert scheduled for the end of December.

At that time, I was distressed by having to quit what I loved and the difficult situation I was in.

Thinking it was the last time, I did my best to prepare for the concert, but discord with the members continued, making concert rehearsals difficult.

After the concert, I had a meeting with the CEO, but he suddenly shifted all responsibility onto me and said he would terminate the contract after the radio schedule planned for early January.

Following the CEO's instructions, I fulfilled all Limitless schedules and had numerous meetings according to his schedule, but he postponed resolutions each time for different reasons.

During a meeting involving the CEO and my parents, he misrepresented what was said to me and my parents, causing further discord.

The eight months felt like hell to me.

I took medication daily to sleep, suffered severe depression, anxiety disorder, and panic disorder, and only thought about dying.

Because of these circumstances, I even attempted suicide. Unable to tell my parents, I tearfully told the CEO that I was struggling so much that I had attempted suicide.

However, the CEO ignored everything. I am very sorry to my parents, who will learn of this through this post.

I felt like I was losing my identity and that my life was falling apart day by day.

Unable to wait any longer for the CEO who was avoiding me, I posted on SNS about leaving Limitless, and the CEO claimed he could not contact me and denied the truth with a false official statement, causing me further pain.

Also, I was heartbroken when I heard that the depression diagnosis I received is something anyone can get.

I am very sorry to those who supported me, my parents, and the fans who loved my imperfect self to have to share these facts.

I endured thinking that if I held on a little longer, everyone would be happy, but it is now too difficult.

I increasingly feel like I do not know who I am, have many negative thoughts, and seem to have problems controlling my behavior. It is truly very hard.