ATTRAKT CEO’s Past Mismanagement Of A K-Pop Group Resurfaces Following The Lawsuit With FIFTY FIFTY
Following news of FIFTY FIFTY‘s lawsuit against their company ATTRAKT, the CEO’s history of past mismanagement of a K-Pop group has resurfaced online.
FIFTY FIFTY shot to fame after their song “Cupid” became a global sensation with the help of TikTok. The song has been used countless times by users worldwide, with many not even realizing it’s a K-Pop song.
Considering the group’s rising success, netizens were shocked when it was announced that FIFTY FIFTY was filing a lawsuit against their company ATTRAKT.
On July 4, new messages from Dispatch seemingly went against the members’ allegations as it showed the CEO Jeong Hong Joon using his own money for promotions and also ensuring the health of the members, against the desires of the producer Ahn Sung Il.
- Ahn Sung Il: It will definitely be good to do the Barbie movie. I’ll meet with them first to try to persuade them, and I will communicate with Aran.
- Jeon Hong Joon: It’s good for you, the group, and the company, but since it’s also a matter of dealing with a health issue, communicate well with both the parents and the members so that there are no misunderstandings~!!
- Jeon Hong Joon: With such a good showing, it’s frustrating that they cannot do anything these days~!
- Ahn Sung Il: Ok. Aran listens well to my opinions anyway, so I’ll check her condition first.
- Ahn Sung Il: I’ll go to personally see her mother
Yet, while Korean netizens seemed to sympathize with the company after recent revelations, international fans have shared their support for the FIFTY FIFTY members.
In particular, amidst the members’ accusing the company of violating their contract’s terms, netizens have brought up evidence of ATTRAKT CEO Jeong Hong Joon’s past mismanagement of the K-Pop group HOTSHOT.
HOTSHOT debuted in 2014, and when boy groups were thriving, it seemed like the perfect time for the members to shine. The group released catchy songs and quickly amassed a huge following of fans from across the world.
While the group seemingly has no ties to ATTRAKT, netizens uncovered that CEO Jeong Hong Joon was the founder of the K-Pop company K.O Sound, which HOTSHOT debuted with. Over the years, the company changed its name several times, once to Ardor & Able in 2015 and finally to Star Crew in 2017.
In particular, it was revealed that after the company changed to Star Crew and a fan tried to contact them, there were seemingly no employees there to answer calls.
>>excerpt from call with star crew<<
fan: there are employees but why do you never pick up the phone?
team leader: i know right
…..?
— 태빛🌟 (@nohtaehyunfan) June 28, 2017
Of course, one of the biggest grievances was that HOTSHOT wasn’t being promoted well. As the company’s only group and with a chance to get even more popularity, fans constantly shared their anger about the lack of opportunities the members were given.
In particular, Noh Taehyun and Ha Sungwoon gained attention when they took part in Produce X 101 back in 2017.
While it’s not uncommon for idols who have already debuted to appear on the show, as members of NU’EST participated in that series, the producer confirmed that the members wanted to appear after telling the company.
[INFO] Confirmed by PD, Taehyun and Sungwoon told the company they wanted to appear on Produce first. They were not approached by Mnet staff pic.twitter.com/CZ6r6ShooE
— ʜᴏᴛsʜᴏᴛsɢ (@hotshotsg) June 29, 2017
After the show brought a lot of eyes to the members, especially as Sungwoon made the final lineup for WANNA ONE, netizens weren’t happy with the company’s actions. In particular, along with a lack of communication about the members’ activities, there was a lot of anger about how Taehyun’s activities were being organized or the lack of organization.
eng trans#노태현 #아더앤에이블 #스타크루이엔티 #하성운 #프로듀스101 #produce101 #rohtaehyun #nohtaehyun pic.twitter.com/I42NOt2ZPn
— 💛💛 (@nthduck) June 29, 2017
In particular, amidst FIFTY FIFTY’s lawsuit, one fan brought back a thread from Reddit talking about the mismanagement of HOTSHOT.
The Current Situation of Taehyun, Sungwoon, and Hotshot under Star Crew Ent (formerly Ador & Able)
by u/thinkstained in Broduce101
There was also a post that gained attention which showcased the fact that all six members of the group had to stay in just one small room.
After the revelations regarding FIFTY FIFTY, the treatment of the group resurfaced, and international fans shared how hard they found it to trust someone who has got a past with mismanagement of the group. In particular, many thought HOTSHOT had the potential to be huge, and it was wasted by mismanagement.
It was also found out by fans that the ATTRAKT CEO was previously the CEO for boy group HOTSHOT and FIFTY FIFTY was originally meant to debut under his old company, Star Crew Entertainment
He is infamous among HOTSHOT fans for his mismanagement and mistreatment of the group pic.twitter.com/VnnVxQHP8M
— nugu promoter (@nugupromoter) July 4, 2023
you tell me fifty fifty’s current ceo is the same dude that managed hotshot??? lmao no wonder fifi is in this situation rn. imo this is the worst news to come out.
hotshot had some of the most talented idols but the group was TOTALLY mismanaged.
let me tell you how bad it was pic.twitter.com/2EoHpRgpeE
— ☆ Rudч ☆🌿 (@__orbitchuu) June 30, 2023
after finding out fifty fifty CEO is the same person who screwed hotshot over i can't trust him no matter what he says https://t.co/ewXdFX6G0p
— ♡̶ (@cosmiczaka) July 4, 2023
All of you siding with the Fifty Fifty CEO even with his history of mistreating Hotshot are just a bunch of mad jealous bitches because of their success
— arik (@dreamerorbit) July 3, 2023
While it is no indication of which side is right, netizens have struggled to find a way to trust the company’s CEO after seeing that his previous company had a history of mismanagement of idols.
You can read more about the lawsuit below.
Dispatch Reveals The Truth Behind FIFTY FIFTY’s Entire Production, Ahn Sung Il, And The Givers