The recent dispute involving the girl group, FIFTY FIFTY and their agency seems to have found its way to Son Seung Yeon, a singer and musical actress known as the winner of 'The Voice Korea'. Although Son Seung Yeon immediately refuted the allegations, the anger from Fortune, the former agency involved, seems to be escalating.
On July 25, Son Seung Yeon's side officially responded to the controversy surrounding the conflict with her former agency, Fortune. Son Seung Yeon has been drawn into the alleged contractual dispute, which bears resemblance to the ongoing legal battle between the group FIFTY FIFTY and their current agency, Attrakt.
Previously, as Attract was embroiled in a contract-related dispute, they claimed that Sungil An from The Givers, an outsourced company, attempted to poach members of FIFTY FIFTY. Following this, it was alleged that Son Seung Yeon, an artist under The Givers, moved from Fortune to The Givers in a similar manner. According to the lawsuit decision requesting the termination of the exclusive contract between Son Seung Yeon and Fortune, she filed an injunction against Fortune for six reasons, including non-performance of settlement obligations and violation of exclusive album production obligations, but the court dismissed it. Son Seung Yeon then left Fortune and signed an exclusive contract with Toonie Forstreet, led by Sungil An.
Son Seung Yeon's side claimed that "the exclusive contract between Fortune and Son Seung Yeon was legally terminated as a result of Fortune's failure to provide not only settlement money for several months but also a settlement statement. Fortune withdrew the balance as soon as they received the personal bank account contrary to their promise, and did not provide a settlement statement nor paid the settlement money. Son Seung Yeon requested the performance of the settlement obligation again, but Fortune did not comply at all, so she notified the termination of the exclusive contract, and as a result, the exclusive contract was terminated."
Fortune officials rectified the facts about the controversy in a phone conversation with Star News on July 25.
Fortune clarified that "Son Seung Yeon signed a contract with Fortune from July 2013 to July 2018 for a total contract period of 5 years, where all management revenues such as album, sound source, performance, event, broadcast appearance fees were split 5:5, and both parties fulfilled their exclusive contract obligations. Son Seung Yeon made an annual income of hundreds of millions. Then Son Seung Yeon suddenly filed a lawsuit for suspension of an exclusive contract in October 2016 without any indication or objection, and the court dismissed it in February 2017, stating that all of Son Seung Yeon's claims had no basis and were unilateral."
They strongly refuted the claim that "Fortune did not fulfill its settlement obligations at all" as a "100% lie."
They mentioned that "Son Seung Yeon, who lost the injunction lawsuit, was asked to decide whether the settlement pending funds generated during the lawsuit period would become settlement money or consensus money depending on whether she would return to the company, but she insisted on settlement money without a clear position for two months, which led to the lawsuit for damages."
They added, "Even at that time, the court made a mediation decision through a damage compensation lawsuit, and Son Seung Yeon filed a lawsuit for prohibition of entertainment activities in August 2017, but the court partially quoted it, but it was clearly acknowledged that Son Seung Yeon refused the agency's entertainment activities without any convincing reasons."
On the same day, Son Seung Yeon also stated that "During the period of affiliation with Fortune, the singer had to overcome a difficult schedule even when polyps, which are as vital to a singer as life itself, were found in the vocal cords. As a result of worsening health conditions, it took nearly 2 years to recover to the current state."
Fortune's side emphasized, "The musical 'The Bodyguard' required her to sing close to 15 songs alone, and she had to take the stage more than 3-4 times a week. We strongly advised Son Seung Yeon not to appear in 'The Bodyguard' for fear of vocal cord nodules."
In addition, Fortune revealed their relationship with Sungil An, who was embroiled in controversy along with Son Seung Yeon in the 'FIFTY FIFTY incident'. They stressed, "In fact, the manager of the company led by Sungil An attended as a witness during the damage compensation lawsuit with Son Seung Yeon, and the manager stated that he had nothing to do with Son Seung Yeon. After checking with all the employees of the company at the time, we confirmed that the managers on Sungil An's side helped with Son Seung Yeon's schedule management."
An official said, "As someone who has been with Son Seung Yeon for more than 3 years, it was shocking to see Son Seung Yeon lying like this. We will take legal action against the false claims and accusations made by Son Seung Yeon."
The situation continues to develop as Son Seung Yeon's team responds with their own legal preparations against Fortune's claims. They have firmly stated that, "We will reveal all the facts about the violation of exclusive contract obligations, including the settlement obligation, through the lawsuit against Fortune."
This ongoing controversy paints a stark picture of the power dynamics in the K-pop industry, drawing attention from fans and industry observers alike. Amid these disputes, FIFTY FIFTY's fans are hoping for a prompt resolution for the group's own legal troubles.
As both parties appear to be preparing for further legal action, the ultimate truth behind the matter is yet to be seen. It's hoped that the impending lawsuits will shed light on the circumstances and help resolve the situation in a fair manner.
