After choosing to withdraw her exclusive contract termination lawsuit against ATTRAKT this past weekend, FIFTY FIFTY member Keena (Song Ja Kyung) spoke with media outlet 'Dispatch' about the events that led her and her group members to initially pursue a lawsuit.
Here, 'Dispatch' began by pointing out that June 13, 2023, marked the date when this controversial issue began.
On June 13, 2023, FIFTY FIFTY member Saena notified staff at ATTRAKT that she had tested positive for COVID-19.
'Dispatch', which was able to obtain this original image sent by Saena, analyzed its metadata and obtained the coordinates of the location where the photo was initially taken. Longitude 37. 29. XX; latitude 127. 7. XX; altitude 55. 80XX.
The coordinates belong to a building in Songpa-gu, Munjeong-dong, and not Gangnam-gu, Nonhyeon-dong, where FIFTY FIFTY's dorm is located.
Songpa-gu, Munjeong-dong is the home of The Givers CEO Ahn Sung Il.
Why did Ahn Sung Il PD send Saena those fake COVID-19 positive test results?
Keena said, "June 13 was approximately 3 days before the notice of our intention to terminate our exclusive contracts would arrive [at ATTRAKT]. Ahn Sung Il PD told us at that time, 'You should stop attending your schedules starting now'. He then suggested that COVID-19 was a safe way to avoid eyes from ATTRAKT. So he sent us that positive test photo, to use the 3 days of quarantine."
On June 16, 2023, FIFTY FIFTY's legal notice, outlining their intentions to terminate their exclusive contracts with ATTRAKT, was forwarded to the company. It arrived on June 19.
On June 17, 2023, FIFTY FIFTY packed their bags and left the dorm provided by ATTRAKT.
But soon after she and the members left the dorm, Keena revealed that she began doubting Ahn Sung Il's trustworthiness.
Keena told 'Dispatch', "It was Ahn Sung Il who first suggested that we pursue the lawsuit. And then our parents hired lawyers to go through the process. According to Ahn Sung Il, he could not become directly involved, but he promised us that he would give us the evidence we needed. He insisted that it was 'a fight we could not lose'. But in the end, he never provided us with any effective evidence. He just turned tail and ran."
According to Keena, she eventually became aware that Ahn Sung Il had forged her signature as to alter her royalty distribution for the song "Cupid", from what was originally 6.5% to just 0.5%. When the news reports broke out that Ahn Sung Il may have faked his education records, as well as signatures of the original producers of "Cupid", Keena's parents and the parents of all of the other members were furious.
It was from that point onward, according to Keena, that contact between FIFTY FIFTY and Ahn Sung Il was cut off, and the members continued to pursue their legal battle with their parents' support.
Based on Keena's comments, 'Dispatch' strongly believes that Ahn Sung Il directly gaslit FIFTY FIFTY into pursuing their legal exit from ATTRAKT.
Keena said, "[Ahn Sung Il] always showed us these KakaoTalk messages. They were messages between him and someone affiliated with Billboard. They would say, 'Their rankings are rising, and they will rise even more'. He would then insist that it was his doing, that he was working behind the scenes to make the song rise on the charts."
The FIFTY FIFTY member continued, "He also claimed that Jeon Hong Jun was struggling, and he was the one funding us. That made us think, 'ATTRAKT is financially unstable'. He kept planting anxiety in our minds like that."
Then, Ahn Sung Il received a buyout offer for FIFTY FIFTY from Warner Records. He told the members about the buyout offer, then claimed that "Jeon Hong Jun turned down the offer, even though it would have been a win-win for all of us. I just don't understand." According to Keena, "He made us think that this was the worst decision a CEO could make for us."
Eventually, Ahn Sung Il invited the FIFTY FIFTY members to a meeting room at The Givers. "He gave us an ultimatum," Keena revealed, "Acquire investment from a big group like CJ or Kakao, or file an injunction and leave ATTRAKT. Ahn Sung Il called my father at that time and claimed that Jeon Hong Jun intended to acquire an investment from a big company, which would only pile up in the form of debt for us members. It was a comment meant to coerce our parents into the idea of a lawsuit."