Ahn Seong-il, the CEO of The Givers, has received a 'no charges' disposition from the police regarding the forgery of private documents and the use of forged documents allegations raised by Kina, a member of the group Fifty Fifty. In response, Attract, the agency of Fifty Fifty, immediately protested by releasing the recording.
On the 29th, The Givers announced, "The Gangnam Police in Seoul, which has been investigating the case where Kina filed a complaint last December claiming that 'his signature was used without his consent on copyright registration documents,' recently decided not to prosecute (no charges) due to insufficient evidence to prove a crime."
The Gangnam Police stated in their non-prosecution decision that they investigated the authority to create the alleged forged documents and the forgery itself, confirming that the registration with the copyright association was done without any legal violations. They concluded that it is reasonable to view that the complainant had broadly delegated the signing of the documents to the accused party, considering that The Givers had entered into a service contract with Attract and was recognized for overseeing the necessary administrative tasks for Fifty Fifty's music activities.
In response, Attract released the recorded conversation between Kina and CEO Ahn Seong-il, immediately protesting.
Attract stated, "The released recording includes a scene where CEO Ahn says to Kina, 'You didn't sign it, did you?' To which Kina replies, 'Yes.' CEO Ahn also directly mentioned the circumstances regarding the use of the signature, stating, 'We submitted the copyright association registration documents, and if the signature is an issue, then it becomes our problem.'
They continued, "As indicated in the recording, this statement suggests an awareness and responsibility regarding the forgery of the signature, yet it is difficult to understand why the investigative agency made a non-prosecution decision. Moreover, this case constitutes a serious crime where clear deception and rights deprivation were perpetrated against a rookie artist who lacked sufficient information about copyright, so we will continue to respond to rectify the truth and protect the artist's rights."
CEO Ahn Seong-il was identified as a key figure behind the contract dispute involving Fifty Fifty that occurred in 2023. At that time, the members of Fifty Fifty who were active with Kina, including Sena, Aran, and Sio, left Attract and re-debuted with Ablum, while Kina returned to Attract to continue activities with new members.
After returning to Attract, Kina filed a lawsuit against CEO Ahn Seong-il, claiming that his signature was used without consent on the copyright registration documents for Fifty Fifty's hit song 'Cupid.' The agency Attract is also currently involved in a lawsuit with The Givers regarding the copyright of 'Cupid.'
[Lee Da-gyeom, Star Today Reporter]
