Court to rule on Fifty Fifty 'tampering' case

Former members of Fifty Fifty (Attrakt)

The first court ruling in the high-profile legal dispute surrounding alleged tampering involving girl group Fifty Fifty is set to be announced on Jan. 15.

The Seoul Central District Court is set to deliver a verdict on Jan. 15 in the high-profile damages lawsuit filed by Attrakt CEO Oscar Chun against Ahn Sung-il, the head of production firm The Givers.

The ruling comes two years and four months after Chun first filed the suit. Attrakt is seeking approximately 2.1 billion won ($1.45 million) in compensation from Ahn and The Givers’ senior director, Baek Jin-sil, accusing them of embezzlement, business obstruction and "tampering" — seeking to lure entertainers to a new agency without the permission of the current label.

Chun’s legal team argues that Ahn and Baek violated their service contract with Attrakt, leading to massive financial losses through obstruction, deception and breach of fiduciary duty.

During the trial, Attrakt further accused Ahn of embezzling over 150 million won by signing unauthorized service contracts. Baek was also accused of sabotaging the group by rejecting ad offers without permission, shutting down the official fan cafe and deleting internal email accounts.

In response, Ahn’s counsel claimed that their contract with Attrakt was dissolved by mutual agreement rather than a unilateral breach. They further argued that The Givers played a minimal role in the fallout between Attrakt and the Fifty Fifty members.

Ablume (Massive E&C)

The legal battle is a critical chapter in the Fifty Fifty saga, which began shortly after the group’s global success with the hit "Cupid."

In June 2023, the original four members filed an injunction to suspend their contracts with Attrakt, citing "mistrust" and "unfair treatment." Attrakt immediately accused Ahn of being the "external force" who manipulated the members into leaving the agency.

While the court rejected the members' injunction request in August, only Keena returned to Attrakt. The agency subsequently terminated its contracts with the remaining three members — Saena, Sio and Aran — and filed separate lawsuits for breach of contract.

Since the split, Fifty Fifty has been reorganized as a five-member group led by Keena, featuring new members Chanelle Moon, Yewon, Hana and Athena.

Meanwhile, Saena, Sio and Aran have signed with Massive E&C, an affiliate of IOK Company, in August 2024. They recently re-debuted as the group Ablume, with Ahn once again overseeing production.