The tension in K-pop is electrifying as former FIFTY FIFTY members Saena, Aran, and Sio, now part of Ablum, approach their ex-agency ATTRAKT for a legal showdown. The battle is worth noting since it comes due to a contract dispute in 2023, which has now become a ₩13 billion lawsuit and has continued to keep fans and industry insiders very intrigued. Here’s the tea!
The Spark of the Conflict in FIFTY-FIFTY
June 2023 saw the initiation of this legal saga, a hot FIFTY FIFTY, who were scouting a viral hit in “Cupid”, pulled a fast one on the industry by filing an injunction to suspend their exclusive contracts with ATTRAKT.
The members have cited violations such as financial opacity and health neglect that are sending them free of their agency-ropped boundaries. The agency hit back alleging external battle fronts including The Givers’ CEO Ahn Sung-il creating poaching attempts on the group. In the light of this, the Seoul Central District Court rejected the injunction as baseless. By October 2023, ATTRAKT terminated the contracts of Saena, Aran, and Sio while Keena remains.
A Countersuit and New Beginnings
In August 2024, Saena, Aran, and Sio filed a counterclaim worth ₩300 million against ATTRAKT while continuing music with their new agency, Massive VNC under IOK Company, which did not pay their dues. By this time, ATTRAKT had already commenced a plethora of battles over claims of damages worth ₩13 billion against the trio, their parents as well as the executives of The Givers.
The former members pose that ATTRAKT failed to provide fair financial statements, which had previously been dismissed but is now a backbone of the countersuit. The trio is preparing to make their grand return as Ablum, laser-focused on replicating “Cupid”‘s global success, and further stoking the flames of the legal battle.
Industry Impact and Fan Reactions
This saga reflects the cut-throat K-pop style, where contract discrepancies lead to termination of careers. In an attempt to save poaching damage to small agencies, ATTRAKT crafted the “Fifty Fifty Act” which might have consequences on a wider scale in the industry.
Here, some fans support it as fighting fair treatment, while others accept ATTRAKT to have spent its investment. The case at Seoul Central District Court on August 22, 2025, becomes a watershed moment in the life of this K-pop saga.
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