K-pop: ATTRAKT sues former FIFTY FIFTY members for 130B KRW
K-pop agency ATTRAKT is suing three former members of girl group FIFTY FIFTY, Saena, Sio, and Aran, for unauthorized contract termination. Per recent reports, the agency seeks damages of 130B Korean Won (around $99.7M). ATTRAKT terminated the exclusive contracts of Saena, Sio, and Aran in October. Now, the company plans to introduce new faces alongside only remaining member Keena.
'Amount we are seeking is in hundreds of billions KRW'
In a statement, the K-pop agency declared, "We initiated a civil lawsuit against ex-FIFTY FIFTY members Saena, Sio, and Aran for the unauthorized termination of their contract." The agency extended legal action to include The Givers's Ahn Sung-il, a Mr. Baek, and the parents of the former members involved. ATTRAKT aims to sue for several hundred billion Korean Won, with the potential for the amount to increase during the case, reportedly.
Allegations against former members and The Givers
The lawsuit comes after a contract dispute in June when all four FIFTY FIFTY members claimed ATTRAKT breached its contract by "failing to provide accounting data" and neglecting the group's mental health. Since then, Keena has dropped her lawsuit and returned to the agency. ATTRAKT also alleged a "conspiracy" between the three ex-members and Ahn—founder/CEO of The Givers, a K-pop consulting firm that co-managed the group with ATTRAKT and produced their hit song Cupid.
Why did ATTRAKT terminate contracts?
ATTRAKT officially announced contract termination in October, stating, "We notified Saena, Sio, and Aran—the remaining members of our agency's girl group FIFTY FIFTY excluding Keena—of the termination of their exclusive contracts as of October 19." The agency cited the three members' failure to address serious contract violations as the reason for the action and asserted, "We will discuss follow-up measures against the members in the future."
FIFTY FIFTY's journey in a nutshell
FIFTY FIFTY gained popularity earlier this year with their hit song Cupid, which reached No. 17 on the Hot 100 and spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Global Ex-US chart in May. The group also made it to the Top 10 of the Pop Airplay chart in July. Formed by ATTRAKT last year, FIFTY FIFTY signed a deal with Warner Records/Warner Music Group Korea in 2021. A representative for Warner Records has not yet commented on the situation.
