According to The Fact, the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 28 ruled on July 16 that One Hundred’s claim lacked legal merit. The court dismissed the lawsuit in its entirety and ordered the agency to bear the litigation costs.
One Hundred had sought approximately ₩8 billion in damages, including:
- Estimated future earnings under Joo Hak-nyeon’s contract
- A contractual penalty clause
- Other compensation tied to the termination of his exclusive agreement
The legal dispute originated from an incident in June last year, when Joo Hak-nyeon traveled to Japan for an awards ceremony. During the trip, Japanese media published photos showing him socializing and engaging in physical contact with a former Japanese adult film actress. The controversy escalated after unverified reports in South Korea alleged that Joo Hak-nyeon had engaged in prostitution. However, authorities later concluded that no prostitution charges applied, and the allegation did not result in criminal liability.
One Hundred argued that Joo Hak-nyeon’s actions constituted behavior serious enough to damage his public image and justify terminating his exclusive contract.
The court disagreed. According to the ruling, meeting the woman fell within Joo Hak-nyeon’s private life. While the court acknowledged that the behavior could be viewed as inappropriate for an idol group member, it determined that it did not amount to misconduct severe enough to justify contract termination.
The court also noted that:
- The prostitution allegation was not substantiated by police.
- Individuals responsible for defamatory reports regarding the allegation were criminally prosecuted for defamation.
Taken together, the court concluded that there were no sufficient grounds to determine that the trust between the parties had irreparably broken down, making termination of the exclusive contract unjustified. Because the termination itself was found to lack legal basis, the court ruled that One Hundred’s damages claim could not stand.
The ruling comes as Cha Ga-won, chairman of One Hundred, faces separate legal scrutiny unrelated to Joo Hak-nyeon’s case. According to the report, Cha Ga-won is currently under police investigation over allegations including:
- Fraud under South Korea’s Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes Act
- Embezzlement
- Alleged business disputes involving intellectual property projects
- Additional contractual disputes with artists formerly signed to the agency
The report states that investigators recently sought a third arrest warrant related to the fraud investigation.
Meanwhile, nine members of THE BOYZ previously filed an embezzlement complaint against Cha Ga-won after successfully obtaining an injunction suspending the validity of their exclusive contracts with One Hundred. The decision represents a significant victory for Joo Hak-nyeon, as the court concluded that the agency failed to establish legal grounds for terminating his contract or claiming financial damages.
Although the broader disputes surrounding One Hundred Label and its management continue through separate legal proceedings, this ruling effectively ends the agency’s attempt to recover ₩8 billion from its former artist.
Sources: 네이트 뉴스
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