Singer Lee Mu-jin wins injunction against agency over unpaid fees

South Korean singer Lee Mu-jin has won a preliminary injunction against his agency, Big Planet Made Entertainment, in a dispute over allegedly unpaid settlement fees exceeding 2 billion won (approximately $1.4 million USD).

The Seoul Central District Court's Civil Division 50 ruled in favor of Lee's request to suspend his exclusive contract, allowing him to pursue independent entertainment activities until the main lawsuit concludes. The court also imposed restrictions on the agency, prohibiting it from negotiating or signing new contracts with third parties, demanding Lee's participation in entertainment activities against his will, or requesting third parties to restrict his activities.

Lee filed the lawsuit on January 16, seeking to terminate his contract and claim the unpaid settlement fees from the second to fourth quarters of last year and the first quarter of this year. His legal representative stated that the agency has not provided any settlement payments for over a year, and recently, support for other management activities has ceased, with staff also not receiving payments.

This legal battle occurs amidst a wave of departures from Big Planet Made Entertainment and its parent company, One Hundred. Notably, artists like Taemin and Lee Seung-gi have recently left the agency. Additionally, the boy group The Boyz also received an injunction to suspend their exclusive contract. Adding to the turmoil, One Hundred's CEO, Cha Ga-won, is currently under police investigation for alleged fraud amounting to approximately 30 billion won (around $21 million USD).