K-pop band freed from agency contract
Singers of a K-pop boy band have won a contract termination suit against their agency. /Yonhap
By Lee Jin-a
Members of a K-pop boy band have won a contract termination lawsuit against their agency for alleged poor support for their activities, a court said Monday.
The ruling has laid the groundwork for the members to terminate unilaterally their five-year contract with their agency.
Detailed information about the band and the agency was not immediately available.
According to Seoul Central District Court, the five-member band signed an exclusive five-year contract with the agency in 2014. But they were literarily “abandoned” for one year. The members said they neither received any living expenses nor had vocal training or acting lessons.
“An exclusive contract between an entertainer and an agency should be based on a high-trust relationship,” said presiding judge Lim Tae-hyuk. “But the two parties currently have a severely low level of trust. Therefore, it is not fair to carry legal binding force any longer.”
The agency hinted that it might appeal against the verdict.
“We did our best to support the band with our human and material resources, but the members terminated the contract without negotiation,” an agency spokesman said.