Singer Lee Mu-jin has successfully secured an injunction to suspend his exclusive contract with his agency, BPM Entertainment (Big Planet Made Entertainment).
On the 24th, the 50th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Sang-hoon) granted Lee Mu-jin's request for an injunction to suspend the validity of his exclusive contract with BPM Entertainment. The court ruled that the contract will remain suspended until a final verdict is reached in the main lawsuit. As a result, Lee Mu-jin is now free to pursue independent entertainment activities while the main legal proceedings are underway.
Furthermore, the court prohibited BPM Entertainment from negotiating or signing contracts on Lee Mu-jin's behalf with third parties, demanding entertainment activities against his will, or requesting third parties to restrict his activities.
Previously, Lee Mu-jin’s side had notified the agency of the termination of his contract and initiated legal action, claiming that he had not received settlement payments from the second quarter of last year to the first quarter of this year. The unpaid settlement amount is reportedly estimated to be around 2.1 billion KRW.
This decision follows the court's ruling on the 5th, which granted a similar injunction request filed by the group VIVIZ against BPM Entertainment. At that time, the court sided with VIVIZ, acknowledging the agency's failure to fulfill its obligation to pay settlements and the resulting breach of trust. Prior to this, nine members of THE BOYZ also filed for an injunction to suspend their exclusive contracts and received a favorable ruling.
BPM Entertainment is an agency under the One Hundred label, led by Chairman Cha Ga-won. The company has been embroiled in a series of legal disputes following recurring controversies regarding unpaid settlement payments to its artists.
The Seoul Gangnam District Office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor is currently conducting a comprehensive investigation into wage arrears involving the One Hundred label and its affiliates. Recently, current and former employees of One Hundred, BPM Entertainment, and INB100 issued a joint statement urging the resolution of unpaid wages and overdue social insurance contributions.
Photo = Reporter Baek Seung-chul
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)
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