《Yoon Jun-ho’s Rebirth》
Reporter Junho Yoon of Ten Asia introduces trends in the entertainment industry. We look at the culture, fashion, and past works of celebrities across the entertainment industry and discuss fun and interesting aspects. Let's look back at what the needs of viewers have increased from the perspective of the MZ generation and what made it popular or uncomfortable with the public.
Former Loona members Jeon Hee-jin, Kim Jeong-eun (Kim Lip), Jeong Jin-sol, and Choi Ye-rim (Choi Lee) signed an exclusive contract with Mode House. There are a total of 11 members of Girl of the Month. Of these, four decided to take their own route. In fact, Loona's entertainment activities have become uncertain.
The Loona member and her agency Blockberry Creative went through a contract dispute. It was started by member Chuu. Blockberry was expelled and permanently expelled for abuse of power and verbal abuse against staff. Afterwards, a comeback was planned with the remaining members except Chu, but it did not materialize.
Chuu's 'controversy over abuse of power' claimed by the agency did not cause much of a stir. Sensitive remarks toward the agency's employees were made public, but only after the previous situation became known. Chuu revealed that he had signed an unfair contract with his agency. A structure in which you are not paid even if you are active. He expressed difficulties in a situation where his debt was only increasing.
Chuu's claim of 'unfair contract' spread to other members as well. Previously, all members of Girl of the Month filed an injunction against Blockberry Creative to suspend their exclusive contracts. This is because he signed a contract with the same contents as Chu.
The court ruled in favor of Heejin, Kim Lip, Jinsol, and Choi Ri. However, in the case of Haseul, Yeojin, Eve, Go Won, and Olivia Hye, the lawsuit was dismissed due to changes in some of the contract provisions.
Girl of the Month was scheduled to make a comeback in January after excluding Chuu. It is said that insiders within the agency have great confidence in this new song. However, just before the comeback, the situation changed drastically. The members' backlash eroded trust in Blockberry, ultimately resulting in the group's disintegration.
In December of last year, Blockberry submitted a petition to the Korea Entertainment Management Association and the Korea Entertainment Producers Association, including the ban on Chu's entertainment activities. In particular, Blockberry pointed out Chew's tampering (prior contact) problem. In 2021, suspicions of tampering with By4M Studio were raised.
It is also known that Heejin, Kim Lip, Jinsol, and Choerry have filed a petition to suspend their entertainment activities. It looks like she can no longer be active as ‘Girl of the Month’. Blockberry's attitude can be understood by looking at the background of Loona's birth.
Girl of the Month was introduced as a group with an investment of approximately 10 billion won. What's unique is that one member was revealed every month. It took about two years to form and plan the group. As much effort and money were put into it, it was a life-or-death group for the agency. In addition, given that Blockberry is a small and medium-sized entertainment company, Loona was an essential element.
The dispute between Blockberry and Loona left only a ‘damage to the image’ for everyone. Girl of the Month is the first K-pop girl group to simultaneously rank first on the iTunes single album chart. They are also a group that has started to gain recognition and has been attracting attention. In the end, it was money that held back the flower from blooming.
Reporter Junho Yoon, Ten Asia delo410@tenasia.co.kr