Lai Kuan-lin, 19, former member of K-pop boy band Wanna One, has won a contract lawsuit against his agency, Cube Entertainment.
On June 17, the 48th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court handed out a decision, saying the exclusive contract between Lai Kuan-lin and Cube Entertainment is invalid.
"We confirm that the exclusive contract between the plaintiff (Lai Kuan-lin) and the defendant (Cube Entertainment) does not exist,” the court ruled, adding that the agency will bear the litigation costs.
Lai Kuan-lin debuted as a member of Wanna One on Aug. 7, 2017 and the group disbanded on Dec. 31, 2018 after their contracts as a boy band expired.
In July 2019, he notified Cube Entertainment on the termination of his exclusive contract through his lawyer and filed an injunction with the Seoul Central District Court, asking the court to suspend his contract.
Cube Entertainment signed an exclusive contract with Lai Kuan-lin on July 25, 2017 before he debuted in Wanna One and transferred the idol’s exclusive management rights in China to a third party, Tazo Entertainment, in January 2018.
Lai Kuan-lin’s side said they only learned about it in April 2019 after Wanna One’s activities had ended and he started his activities in China.
In November 2019, the court rejected Lai Kuan-lin’s application for an injunction to suspend his exclusive contract with Cube Entertainment, which said that based on the decision, it planned to seek an amicable solution through dialogue with him.
In May last year, Lai Kuan-lin’s appeal for injunction was also dismissed. His attorney then filed a lawsuit seeking to prove that the exclusive contract had no effect, an action which was separate from the application for injunction.
Four hearings were held and the court ruled that the exclusive contract between Lai Kuan-lin and Cube Entertainment did not exist.