10+ K-Pop Idols Who Have Filed Lawsuits Against The Company They Were Under
A lot of K-Pop companies are known to mistreat their artists, as many idols have spoken about how tough their companies are on them. While most idols don’t publically speak against their companies due to things like drama or fear, there have been a few who chose to be more vocal about the mistreatment they received. Here are a few idols who filed lawsuits against their companies.
1. The members of JYJ
The members of JYJ all filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment due to their unfair contracts. The members were unhappy about the way that they were getting paid, and felt that they were like slaves to the company. The lawsuit concluded in 2017, as final court rulings revealed that a slave contract never existed.
2. Hangeng (Former member of Super Junior)
Hangeng originally debuted as a member of Super Junior in 2005 but left the group in 2009 after filing a lawsuit against SM Entertainment to terminate his contract. Hangeng later revealed that he did this because SM Entertainment wouldn’t let him pursue acting.
3. Lai Kuanlin
In 2019, Lai Kuanlin filed a lawsuit to terminate his contract with Cube Entertainment. There were many reasons why he requested it, one of them being that Cube Entertainment would schedule him for events without his consent.
The initial appeal was dismissed, but that didn’t stop Lai Kuanlin. Lai Kuanlin’s legal team soon filed another lawsuit asking for his contract with Cube Entertainment to get terminated.
4. Kang Daniel
Kang Daniel had filed a lawsuit to terminate his contract with LM Entertainment in 2019. The dispute between the two lasted many months, and Kang Daniel even got diagnosed with depression due to it.
5. The members of B.A.P
In 2014, the members of B.A.P filed a lawsuit against TS Entertainment to terminate their contracts. The members felt that they were being mistreated and that all the profits were going to TS Entertainment. While TS Entertainment tried to initially deny any of the claims made, the members soon publically let their feelings be known.
I never complained about not having enough money. But the lawsuit did cost a lot. Because I wasn’t ever paid by the agency, I sold my collection of sneakers and paid off the fees. I stayed with my parents for the time being. I went back to the newspaper distribution office where I worked in my high school days. The owner knew I’d debuted as a celebrity. He asked me why I’m trying to deliver newspapers again. I laughed it off and told him it was to get some exercise because I wasn’t promoting anything at the time. I couldn’t tell the truth. Like that, I was delivering newspapers again.
— Bang Yongguk
6. The members of Block B
In 2013, the Block B members filed a lawsuit to terminate their contracts with Stardom Entertainment. The main issue the members had was never receiving their payments on time, and that their CEO reportedly stole money from the members’ parents.
7. Kris, Luhan, and Tao (Former members of EXO)
All three of these former EXO members filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment to terminate their contracts. While each one of them filed a lawsuit at a different time, they all had a similar reason why they wanted their contacts terminated. They all felt that they were getting mistreated by the company and that their health wasn’t being taken care of properly. Also, they felt that SM Entertainment was restricting them from doing activities they wanted to do, such as acting.
8. Hyosung (Former member of SECRET)
Hyosung filed a lawsuit against TS Entertainment in 2017. The main reason was due to unreceived payments, as well as the company transferring contents of her contract to other companies without her knowledge. Hyosung eventually won the contract battle, and her contract was soon terminated.
9. Kim Samuel
Kim Samuel filed a lawsuit against Brave Entertainment in 2017 due to the CEO using him for his gain.
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