“Grateful for restored honor” – Attrakt’s CEO, Jeon Hong-jun, returns to USA for a new girl group

After the court rejected the application for a provisional injunction suspending the exclusive contract with girl group FIFTY FIFTY, CEO Jeon Hong-jun of ATTRAKT had no respite. However, his voice seemed to have relaxed, as if he had let go of something compared to before.

FIFTY FIFTY claimed contract termination with ATTRAKT in June, citing opaque accounting, lack of support, and other issues, and filed for a provisional injunction suspending the exclusive contract. However, on August 28, the 50th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court rejected FIFTY FIFTY’s application for a provisional injunction suspending the exclusive contract, stating that it was difficult to determine an obligation to provide settlement data and that it was not easy to consider violations of health management and care obligations or that the termination of work which constituted a violation of the exclusive contract. FIFTY FIFTY has appealed the court’s decision, setting the stage for the second round.

However, it cannot be definitively said that FIFTY FIFTY’s counterattack will likely overturn the rejection, and there is a dominant view that team activities have become practically impossible, with criticism from public opinion and negative evaluations in the industry.

The compilation EP album ‘The Beginning,’ released on September 22, was not an album hinting at FIFTY FIFTY’s comeback but an album that was already included in the contract, as it was already completed. The newly recorded part was essentially a special reissue album. CEO Jeon Hong-jun explained, “ATTRAKT, which signed an verbal agreement with Warner Records in the United States for compilation albums for local K-pop fans, released an album in the form of a limited edition best album of previously released songs. Before the dispute with the members on May 31, we met with Warner Records CEO in the United States and continued working with our staff after returning to Korea in June. We signed the contract in early July and sent the work to the United States in early August. At that time, I believed that the members would return soon and continued the work.”

Jeon also expressed his regret, saying, “It is unfortunate that the members are still gaslighting me even after the rejection. Temperance must be eliminated. We should not leave a bad precedent in the K-pop market. We should amend the law to strengthen penalties according to reality.”

When he spoke with a reporter back in July, Jeon had expressed his earnest hope for reconciliation, saying, “To be honest, two of the members are minors, and their parents may not be familiar with this field. How can they know all these situations? It’s something everyone can understand, and I hope we can reconcile and start again by apologizing to each other.”

After more than two months, Jeon, who is now in contact again, expressed his gratitude to everyone for the rejection decision, but he also hinted that there is no time to spare for the next move.

ATTRAKT is launching a new girl group project with the goal of debuting next year. All members of the new girl group will be selected through auditions, and the entire process will be open to the public. The specific schedule for the auditions has not yet been announced, but the “public’s pick” is emphasized as a key point of the audition program, saying, “The applicant chosen by the public, who can directly communicate with the public, will debut. This will also be a major factor in the judging criteria.”

In addition, ATTRAKT has successfully attracted approximately 10 billion won in investment from a Singaporean investor, laying the groundwork for preparing for the new girl group. Jeon plans to focus on his role as a producer by heading to the United States again for the launch of the new girl group, starting from the upcoming Chuseok holiday.

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