All LOONA members now free from longtime agency Blockberry Creative
June 16, 2023
The remaining members of K-pop girl group LOONA have emerged victorious in their legal battle against their longtime agency Blockberry Creative.
The lawsuit: The Seoul High Court’s civil affairs department ruled in favor of LOONA members Haseul, Yeojin, Yves, Olivia Hye and Go Won in their lawsuit against the entertainment company. The court decided to suspend the members’ contracts with Blockberry Creative, citing concerns over the company’s decision to transfer the contracts to Universal Japan without the consent of the artists.
Context: The five members were the last of the group to be freed from their contracts from Blockberry Creative, meaning that all 12 LOONA members have exited their original agency. Former member Chuu was the first to leave the group in November of last year, having been expelled by Blockberry over “violent language and misuse of power.” Chuu’s removal was met with widespread skepticism by both fans and industry professionals, who swiftly rebuked Blockberry’s sentiments. She has since signed with entertainment agency ATRP as of April of this year.
In January, Heejin, Haseul, Yeojin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Choerry, Yves, Gowon and Olivia Hye filed injunctions to release them from their contracts with Blockberry Creative. Among them, Heejin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul and Choerry have found success with Modhaus, an agency led by former LOONA creative director Jaden Jeong and home to new K-pop girl group tripleS.
Meanwhile, Hyunjin and Vivi have signed contracts with a new agency named CTDENM, which is headed by former Blockberry Creative director Yoon Do-yeon.
Instagram posts: Following the news of their legal victory, the now former LOONA members took to Instagram to express their feelings. Yves shared an image of actress Nicole Kidman after her divorce from Tom Cruise in 2001. Yeojin posted an image from the “Harry Potter” films featuring Dobby the house-elf and his famous quote, “Dobby is free.” Additionally, Jinsoul, Heejin and Kim Lip, who had their contracts suspended earlier this year, also reacted to the news by sharing posts and images related to the group.
What’s next: Kim Lip, Jinsoul and Choerry are set to make a comeback under their LOONA sub-unit name Odd Eye Circle. Modhaus recently shared the first teaser image of the familiar group concept. It will be the first release under an umbrella project by the company called “ARTMS.”
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