The Seoul Central District Court ordered The Givers and its CEO Ahn Sung Il to pay approximately 499.5 million won (about $340,000) to FIFTY FIFTY’s agency ATTRAKT in damages.
The court ruling, issued on January 15, 2026, determined that both The Givers and CEO Ahn are jointly liable for the payment. Director Baek Jin-sil was also ordered to contribute jointly, covering the total amount of damages.
The decision represents a partial victory for ATTRAKT in a lawsuit filed in September 2023 that originally sought compensation of about 2.1 billion won (about $1.4 million).
Presiding Judge Choi Jong-jin ruled that The Givers and Ahn had violated their contractual service obligations with ATTRAKT, committing deception and breaches of fiduciary duty that caused financial harm to the agency, according to allkpop.
The court acknowledged allegations of what the K-pop industry calls “tampering,” which refers to unauthorized contact with artists before their exclusive contracts expire.
ATTRAKT’s complaint focused on several specific claims. The agency said Ahn misappropriated about 150 million won (about $100,000) through an unauthorized service contract entered into without prior agreement.
ATTRAKT also accused The Givers of hindering business operations by rejecting advertising pitches without permission, closing the official fan café and deleting email accounts. Furthermore, ATTRAKT alleged that the Donors have not fulfilled their financial settlement obligations.
The Donors responded to these allegations by arguing that the service contract was mutually terminated rather than unilaterally breached and that the company had minimal involvement in the contract dispute between ATTRAKT and the members of FIFTY FIFTY. Sports Khan reported.
The legal case emerged following FIFTY FIFTY’s global success with the hit song “Cupid” in 2023. Shortly thereafter, the original members filed for an injunction to suspend their exclusive contracts with ATTRAKT, citing mistrust and unfair treatment.
ATTRAKT suspected that Ahn Sung Il, who had worked as a producer on “Cupid” and had a five-year project management services contract with the agency as of June 2021, was the outside force behind the members’ actions.
The ruling allows the provisional enforcement of the damages order. Meanwhile, ATTRAKT continues to pursue a separate lawsuit seeking 13 billion won (about $8.8 million) in damages against three former FIFTY FIFTY members – Saena, Sio and Aran – along with other defendants, including the members’ parents.
Member Keena had previously withdrawn his appeal and returned to ATTRAKT, which reorganized the group as a five-member unit with new members, as per MK.
