Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Just a few weeks ago, I provided a somewhat dour update on the case of former MADEIN member Gaeun in her sexual harassment claim against former 143 Entertainment CEO Lee Yong Hak, as she had filed for contract termination but her representation was left pleading in petitions for action on the case with no further updates.
Thankfully, there is one now and it’s great news, as the court has granted her an injunction against her exclusive contract with the company.
The Hanbit Media Labor Human Rights Center announced the decision, adding that the perpetrator must be punished in the criminal trial as well, “Court grants the victim’s request for a preliminary injunction suspending the effectiveness of her exclusive contract. A just and expected decision. More than 900 people submitted a petition calling for strict punishment of the perpetrator. The criminal trial must proceed without delay.“
The preliminary injunction was granted on July 31, “The court’s decision to suspend the effectiveness of the exclusive contract is both justified and appropriate. The court found that Lee Yong Hak’s conduct was not only ‘behavior that a director of a company with a duty to protect and support its artists should never engage in,’ but also pointed out that ‘there is no evidence that the company has, to this day, any intention of carrying out management duties on behalf of the creditor (the victim).’ Based on these findings, the court concluded that suspending the effectiveness of the exclusive contract was necessary. 143 Entertainment failed entirely to protect the victim and has shown no willingness to support her. Under these circumstances, insisting on maintaining the exclusive contract serves no purpose other than to keep the victim tied to the company, interfere with her future, and continue causing her harm. We also hope the court will reach a prompt and fair decision in the main lawsuit seeking the termination of the exclusive contract.“
Notably, the court ruled that the behavior of Lee Yong Hak was inappropriate, yet the company effectively exiled her while maintaining their control over her future.
They also state that the criminal proceedings are ongoing and the case has been forwarded to the prosecution, which is a detail I was not aware of before this, and is actually an optimistic step forward.
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So while that’s nice, the disturbing thing is that despite Lee Yong Hak’s resignation, he has been seen having ties to the company still, “Despite these developments, the alleged perpetrator was seen accompanying one of the company’s boy groups to a concert in Japan on August 1, as confirmed through social media. While the victim — whose career was at one of its most important stage — has had to put her dreams on hold to focus on recovery because of this incident, the alleged perpetrator continues to work in the entertainment industry without meaningful restrictions. To correct this deeply unjust situation, the criminal proceedings must also move forward swiftly.“
Fans had already been pointing out that it sure seemed he maintained deep connections with the company despite not being in an official role, and he recently all but confirmed that in a video with iKON.
Yeah, it’s like I’ve been saying about how a lot of these companies operate with individuals who have almost institutionalized power. Their official titles may change on paper, but the way things are run, they still frequently maintain a level of control over matters (if not financial ties). This case just happens to be an especially blatant example of a PR-only move.
Mostly though, it’s really eye-opening to me how under the radar something so blatantly wrong can go among fandoms and netizens as long as the people involved aren’t figures people on social media can use for their own engagement.
