All the members of the girl group LOONA (HeeJin, HyunJin, HaSeul, Yeojin, ViVi, Kim Lip, JinSoul, Choerry, Yves, Chuu, Go Won, Olivia Hye) have achieved an initial victory in their contract termination lawsuit against their agency, Blockberry Creative, which has eased restrictions on their entertainment activities. However, this doesn’t mean that everything has come to an end. The invisible battle is likely to continue.
On June 16th, the 5th Civil Division of the Seoul High Court issued a partial ruling in favor of HaSeul, Yeojin, Olivia Hye, and Go Won, who filed for an injunction to suspend the effectiveness of their exclusive contracts with Blockberry. The judge stated, “It is deemed appropriate to suspend the effectiveness of the exclusive contracts as there is a problem with Blockberry transferring the exclusive contracts to the Japanese agency Universal Japan without the consent of the members.” The attention was drawn to the fact that the judgment was reversed after the initial trial, where they had suffered a defeat.
As a result, the five members can now resume their entertainment activities. Along with the other members who had previously won the injunction lawsuit to suspend the effectiveness of their exclusive contracts, they can now leave LOONA and start anew. HyunJin, ViVi, HeeJin, Kim Lip, JinSoul, and Choerry have all received favorable rulings in their injunction lawsuits against Blockberry.
Chuu, HyunJin, ViVi, HeeJin, Kim Lip, JinSoul, and Choerry are all in the process of signing contracts with new agencies and preparing for their comeback. Chuu has joined ATRP, a new agency founded by Kim Jin-mi, a former WM Entertainment representative who personally discovered and produced B1A4, Oh My Girl, and ONF. HeeJin, Kim Lip, JinSoul, Choerry, and HaSeul have joined Mode House, led by Jung Byung-gi, who was involved in the initial production of LOONA. HyunJin and ViVi have signed exclusive contracts with CDDM, led by Yoon Do-yeon, who participated in LOONA’s management.
Since they have all won the injunction lawsuits to suspend the effectiveness of their exclusive contracts, there doesn’t seem to be significant constraints on their immediate activities. However, it cannot be said that it is completely over from a legal standpoint.
Blockberry, in response to their loss in the lawsuits with the five members, stated that they would “appeal” and also plan to proceed with the main lawsuit regarding the effectiveness of the exclusive contracts. Blockberry is currently awaiting the verdict of the main lawsuit against Chuu, who is already preparing for solo activities, which is scheduled for August. This lawsuit has also taken a minimum of two years. A Blockberry representative emphasized to Star News that “the road ahead is long” and that they will continue to pursue legal action against the members. Although there may not be significant immediate obstacles to the activities of LOONA members, it is expected that the unseen mudslinging will continue.
