Member Of A K-Pop Group’s Debut Line-Up Kicked Out And Sued After Getting A Tattoo

The court awarded damages to his former company.

A trainee selected to be part of a group’s debut line-up has been ordered to pay their former agency.

Seoul Central District Court | Naver

According to legal sources on the 23rd, Judge Lee Baek Gyu of the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 96 ruled in a damages suit filed by an entertainment agency against former trainee A.

Around June 2018, A signed an exclusive contract with the entertainment company, which included terms and conditions about revenue distribution and clauses imposing certain restrictions on conduct that could harm public image, such as hairstyles, tattoos, dating, clubbing, drinking, and smoking.

Photo for illustrative purposes. | Scott Graham/Unsplash

The contract also stipulated that violating these terms would result in a penalty of ₩30.0 million KRW (about $21,900 USD) per violation.

A was found to have broken these terms multiple times, including leaving the dorm without permission and getting a tattoo. These contract violations and other issues, including A’s relationship with the other group’s members, ultimately led to their exclusion from the group’s final line-up, which began promotions in June 2019.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. | Pinterest

The agency then filed a lawsuit, seeking damages of around ₩80.0 million KRW (about $58,300 USD) for the contract’s penalties and termination.  The court sided with the agency, but significantly reduced the amount awarded to ₩5.00 million KRW (about $3,650 USD), noting that the tattoo was small and located on the back of the trainee’s neck and that they only left the dorm once without permission.