On October 25, the Korea Management Federation (KMF) released an official statement, highlighting: “We recognize the seriousness of last year’s tampering (pre-contractual negotiations) incident, in which member company Attrakt was affected, and express our concern in this regard.”
KMF said: “Tampering is a serious violation that undermines contractual balance and erodes trust within the entertainment industry. However, the actions of three former FIFTY FIFTY members, who have evaded accountability for their involvement in the tampering, are deplorable. These people resumed their activities with another agency as if nothing had happened.”
The statement further highlighted, “This behavior contradicts basic contractual ethics and common sense, severely damaging the trust of all parties involved. Terminating a contract unilaterally through tampering, and then attempting to sign with a new agency without taking any legal or ethical responsibility, raises a significant concern for industry fairness.”
KMF added, “We take this situation very seriously and strongly denounce any attempt to illegally cancel contracts through tampering. We urge all artists to take responsibility for their actions and uphold the legal and ethical duties of their contracts. Artists have the right to their freedom, but it must be exercised within fair procedures and contractual frameworks.”
Meanwhile, FIFTY FIFTY debuted as a four-member group in November 2022. Their single “Cupid” entered Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 100, eventually climbing to No. 17, achieving the “miracle of a small agency.”
However, all 4 members filed a dispute against their agency, Attrakt, leading to a conflict. Only Keena withdrew her appeal before the ruling and returned to the team. The court rejected the members’ request to suspend their exclusivity contracts. Later, Attrakt reformed the group as a five-member team by adding Moon Chanelle, Yewon, Hana, and Athena.
The former members who left the team, Saena, Aran and Sio, recently signed with Massive V&C, a new label under IOK Company, and are preparing to debut again as the group Ablume.
Source: Daum
