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GWSN: K-pop girl group wins first trial for contract termination; Agency reportedly unresponsive
Once an active and known name in the industry, the girl group Girls in the Park, has not promoted their music in a while. Here’s what’s happening.
K-pop is seeing a lot of artists finally speaking out against their agencies and demanding their rights. With proper evidence and support from the masses, so far the court rulings have mostly worked in the favour of the acts. Another claim coming to light is girl group GWSN, also known as Girls in the Park, winning their first trial against THE WAVE MUSIC surfaced first on January 22.
GWSN’s lawsuit
Posts in online communities and minimal media coverage seem to have revealed the details of GWSN’s seven members being in the middle of a lawsuit to terminate their exclusive contract with the agency. The girls filed for termination after reportedly being subjected to mistreatment and unfavourable working as well as living conditions.
While the matter was hush-hush so far, it has now come to light that the first trial against the agency was won on January 22 and that too without any counter argument. If the same is true, it may mean that the management company did not bother with a counsel to explain their side of the story or claim any damages so far. Once the ruling has been made, the seven members will be free from the agency and be able to promote as they see fit.
A legal community posting on January 22 is said to have revealed the ruling for the first trial which stated that the 28th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favour of the plaintiff (in this case the GWSN members) in their lawsuit which was filed on January 12 against their agency THE WAVE MUSIC for the termination of their exclusive contract.
GWSN’s treatment by THE WAVE MUSIC
It was further reported that all the members were evicted from their dormitory in February 2022 because the agency did not pay the rent for their proper accommodation. In July 2022, the functioning of the dance practice room was closed up, and all the employees and managers of the agency who were in charge of GWSN’s activities left the company.
Moreover, it is being said that their foreign members, Soso who is from Taiwan and Miya who is from Japan, were harmed further as their work visa paperwork was neglected by the agency. This resulted in the two having to pay fines on their own and receiving criminal records on their visas which would stay permanently. The members have also claimed that their basic wages which would ideally include expenses for food and training sessions were lacking for a long time. There was no record of this and neither for the payment of their company’s employees which further led to them leaving.
The GWSN side has said that since their last album promotions in mid-2021, they were neglected to the point of being unable to continue with their entertainment activities. They claimed that proper management is the basic value of any contract between the agency and its artists which has been ignored by the company. Their lack of invoices involving the members’ finances has further broken the trust between them. The members are claiming the contracts to be invalid for these reasons.
The issue had been brought to the attention of fans in February 2022 when they learned of music producer Swin Lee being unpaid for his contribution to the creation of the girl group’s fifth mini-album ‘THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON’ which unknowingly became their last joint-project with THE WAVE MUSIC. The fans had trended #SAVEgwsn at the time to call for appropriate action, not aware of the real situation behind it all.
What can GWSN’s future look like?
Instances of exclusive contracts being terminated due to broken trust between the agency and the artists have been seen before and are likely the route that will be followed this time around as well. The settlement details are usually the point of dispute between the two parties. However, this is a case where the agency has not appeared for the trial and their lack of response for 30 days after being notified of the first trial is also being reported. In case, the accused does not appeal the ruling within 14 days, the ruling which is currently in the favour of the plaintiff stays.
About GWSN
The girl group debuted first in September 2018 with their first EP, ‘THE PARK IN THE NIGHT part one’ under Kiwi Pop. It is comprised of members Miya, Seokyoung, Seoryoung, Anne, Minju, Soso, and Lena. Their last comeback was in May 2021 following which no music has been released by the septet.
Since the Lunar New Year holidays have been underway in South Korea, not a lot has so far been revealed regarding the case or the members’ claims. However, fans have been keenly following all updates and demanding answers from the entertainment agency.
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