Happy 24th birthday Younha!
Yesterday, April 29th, was the birthday of one dearly beloved idol and one not so beloved person. Person A? My favorite Korean pop star Younha, who I’ve written about before and who has sang one of my favorite songs. Person B? Our very own Jack Guo. Just kidding Jack, you know we like you too. Here’s a cute/funny picture to commemorate the occasion.
Hey Moar Powah! it’s time for another edition of “The Courtroom.” This is a topic I’ve been keeping close attention to for a few weeks now. On October 12th, I learned that my favorite K-pop star, Younha, had burst into tears over a third failed mediation with her agency Lion Media. At first, I had no idea why she was in court for mediation, so obviously I searched the allkpop.com archives to find out. Here’s the story: on July 11th, Younha sued Lion Media for failing to honor her contract. On August 23rd, Lion Media counter-sued for $1 million USD. To be honest, I’m not surprised that Younha decided to sue her agency. It’s a well-known fact that many Korean agencies take advantage of their stars. They will work them to death for every last penny. Here’s a statement from Younha’s legal team:
When Younha signed, she was merely a 15 year old minor who knew nothing of the realities of the industry. She signed an exclusive contract with unfair terms.
Younha’s contract included unfair terms where she was only receiving 10% of her digital sales. Lion Media also failed to distribute her income properly and also forced her to release albums that weren’t completed fully due to lack of budgets, impacting her musical career.
At the end of 2008, she was diagnosed with shingles but forced to continue promoting while holding back her pain. Despite being hospitalized in January of 2010 for laryngitis, Lion Media failed to cancel her scheduled activities, forcing her to lip sync on stage.