CL's Agency 'Very Cherry' Operated Without Proper Registration for Five Years

CL, a member of the group 2NE1, has been operating her one-person agency 'Very Cherry' without registering as a pop culture and arts planning business.

According to a report by TenAsia on the 18th, CL has run 'Very Cherry' for about five years without the necessary registration. Very Cherry was established by CL in 2020. A representative from Very Cherry told TenAsia, "We recently became aware of the lack of registration and are taking it very seriously," adding that they are currently proceeding with the registration process swiftly.

Recently, the industry has been self-checking whether one-person agencies established by celebrities are operating legally. This comes after several cases were revealed where such agencies were not registered as required. Notable figures like musical actress Ock Joo-hyun, singers Sung Si-kyung and Song Ga-in, and actor Kang Dong-won have also been involved in similar situations. Among them, Ock Joo-hyun and Sung Si-kyung are currently under police investigation.

According to the Act on the Development of the Public Culture and Arts Industry, corporations or individual businesses of a certain size managing or representing entertainers must register as planning businesses. Failure to comply can result in up to two years of imprisonment or a fine of up to 20 million won.

As unregistered cases continue to emerge, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced a 'comprehensive registration guidance period' until December 31st, encouraging the industry to fulfill its legal obligations voluntarily. After this period, if unregistered status is confirmed, the ministry plans to take strong actions, including administrative investigations and requests for prosecution.