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Court severs Loona's contracts with agency BlockBerry Creative

Published: 17 Apr. 2025, 19:22 Updated: 17 Apr. 2025, 19:24

SHIN MIN-HEE
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Girl group Loona [BLOCKBERRY CREATIVE]

A district court ruled on Thursday that girl group Loona's exclusive contracts with agency BlockBerry Creative had been legally terminated.

The five members of Loona — Haseul, Yeojin, Yves, Go Won and Olivia Hye (now known as Hyeju) — had first sued in a lower court to suspend their contracts with the agency, under which they debuted in 2016, in 2022, following a dispute over profit distribution.

The court declined to issue an injunction in 2022, but then did so in 2023 on appeal, after finding BlockBerry Creative's transfer of part of the group's exclusive contractual rights to a Japanese entertainment agency without their written consent to be unlawful. Later that same year, Loona filed another suit challenging the validity of its contracts with BlockBerry Creative.

The Seoul Northern District Court partially sided with Loona in its ruling on Thursday, finding that its exclusive contracts and supplementary agreements with the defendant had been terminated, according to a legal representative for the members. It did not, however, agree that the original contracts were invalid.

The court did not provide a reason for the decision.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]