CL
It has been confirmed that CL, a member of the group 2NE1, operated her own solo agency, Very Cherry, without registering it as an official cultural and arts planning business.
According to a report by TenAsia on September 18, CL ran her solo agency Very Cherry for about five years without completing the mandatory registration. Very Cherry was founded by CL in 2020. A representative of the agency told the media, “We recently became aware of this unregistered status and take it very seriously. We are currently proceeding with the necessary steps to regularize the situation.”
Recently, the entertainment industry has begun reviewing whether solo agencies founded by celebrities are legally registered. Several unregistered solo agencies have come to light, including those established and operated by musical actress Ock Joo Hyun, singers Sung Si Kyung and Song Ga In, and actor Kang Dong Won. Among them, Ock Joo Hyun and Sung Si Kyung have been reported and are under police investigation.
Under the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act, any corporation or sufficiently large individual business that manages artists or handles their management must be officially registered as a cultural and arts planning agency. Failure to comply can result in up to two years of imprisonment or a fine of up to 20 million won (approximately €12,000).
In response to the growing number of unregistered cases, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism plans to implement a mandatory registration awareness period until December 31, encouraging the industry to voluntarily comply with the law. After that date, any unregistered operations will be subject to administrative investigations and legal action.
Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: SNS CL, TenAsia
