Court invalidates slave-like contract for entertainers

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Sat, September 30, 2023 | 21:08

Court invalidates slave-like contract for entertainers

Posted : 2010-08-13 18:56

Updated : 2010-08-13 18:56

The Supreme Court upheld a ruling that long-term contracts between entertainers and their agencies are unfair and therefore invalid.

Woo Sung-hyun of U-Kiss

By Park Si-soo

The Supreme Court upheld a ruling that long-term contracts between entertainers and their agencies are unfair and therefore invalid.

The top court Friday invalidated a contract putting an entertainer under the control of his agency for as long as a decade, saying the contract restricted freedom.

This verdict is expected to put the brakes on entertainment agencies’ long-established practice of controlling its stars for as long as possible with slave-like contracts.

Woo Sung-hyun, a 20-year-old member of popular boy band U-Kiss, filed a suit in 2008 challenging his contract, calling it “unfair.”
In 2006, Woo signed with the agency, Ssing Entertainment, a 10-year contract that stipulated if his performances were suspended due to health problems or mandatory military service, the inactive period would be added to the term.

Any acts violating the terms cost the singer a financial penalty three times the agency’s investment in him, according to the contract.

A district court ruled in favor of Woo, saying, “The first ten years after his debut album constitute virtually his entire life as a singer. Given the nature of the industry, the contract term is unfair and excessively infringes upon his rights.”

An appellate court upheld the decision.

Such excessively binding contracts in the showbiz industry came to light when three members of the popular boy band TVXQ filed a suit against its agency, SM Entertainment, to invalidate what they called “life-long slave contracts.”

The three ㅡ Micky, Xiah and Hero ㅡ claimed their agency prohibited their freedom as artists by forcing them to follow the agency’s demands to appear at certain performances and broadcasts for 13 years. The litigation is still underway.

The dispute led to the country’s fair trade watchdog drawing up guidelines for entertainer-agency contracts, which set the maximum length at seven years. They also ban an agency’s excessive intervention into employees’ private lives.

우성현, 전소속사에 10년계약 무효소송 ‘승소’

아이돌그룹 유키스 멤버 케빈(본명 우성현)이 전 소속사를 상대로 낸 10년 전속계약호력 부존재확인 소송 항소심에서 승소했다.

서울고등법원에 따르면 케빈이 전 소속사를 상대로 낸 전속계약효력부존재확인 소송 항소심에서 1심과 같이 원고 승소했다.

재판부는 "계약기간인 첫 번째 음반 출반일로부터 10년은 연예 산업 위험성을 감안할 경우 합리적인 정도를 초과해 공정을 잃었다"며 "우 군의 계약 중 이익분배나 계약 위반 시 손해배상예정액 및 위약벌에 관한 조항은 우 군의 인격적 주체성을 심각하게 훼손해 사회질서에 반하는 계약 조건이다"고 밝혔다.

한편, 케빈은 지난 2006년 7월 씽 엔터테인먼트와 10년 전속계약을 체결했다.계약 내용에는 군 복무 또는 건강 문제로 연예활동을 못할 경우 그만큼의 기간이 연장된다는 내용이 포함된 것으로 알려졌다.

pss@koreatimes.co.kr