"The Unit" Completes Payment To All Participants From First 12 Episodes

“The Unit” has fulfilled payment to all contestants who appeared in the first 12 episodes of the show.

On March 15, several industry sources confirmed that the KBS idol rebooting show has completed payment to everyone who participated in the show’s first 12 episodes. Payment for the remaining two episodes of “The Unit” will be settled in the future.

“The Unit” was a survival program that allowed individuals who had already made their debut in the entertainment industry to showcase their skills, and gave them opportunities to further pursue their dreams of being on stage. “The Unit” first aired in October last year and concluded its run in February.

“The Unit” had a total of 126 participants. As with similar survival programs, there were costs involved such as accommodation, hair and make-up, and stylists. This made many people curious about whether the contestants were being paid for their appearance on the show.

A source has said, “Payments have been made to all the participants. ‘Passion pay’ cannot be compensation for the contestants’ earnestness.” The term “passion pay” is used in Korea to describe cases where employers give workers (particularly youth) no pay or less than the minimum wage, often while claiming to be providing them with valuable experience instead.

Shortly after its finale, “The Unit” finalist groups revealed their names to be UNB and UNI.T, and the male group UNB will kickstart their promotions soon.

Following this news about payments for contestants of “The Unit,” industry sources have said that contestants of “MIXNINE” have still not received any payment. It was reported during the airing of both shows that there was no mention of payment in the contracts for the contestants.

One industry source stated, “Contestants on ‘MIXNINE’ included people who already had television experience as well as those who haven’t debuted.” They continued, “I can’t understand why they can’t receive payment for their television appearance because there is no mention of it in the contract.” In addition, the future of the “MIXNINE” final group is currently unclear, with many sources saying that they are not currently preparing for a debut.

Watch “The Unit” from the beginning below.

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