Top Entertainment Agency Refuses To Clear 12 Million KRW Laundry Bill While Debuting A New Idol Group

A prominent entertainment agency in Korea is in hot water for allegedly refusing to pay its laundry bills despite clearly having the funds.

The June 20 episode of JTBC‘s Crime Chief reported on this case. The episode featured Kim Sung Yoon, the owner of a laundry business specifically for idol stage costumes in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam, who had been cleaning the performance outfits of a ten-member boy group since their debut, but had yet to receive any of his payments for his work, including 200 to 300 cleanings.

Kim stated that he continued working for the group because he trusted their styling team. “If I refused, their stylists couldn’t do their job,” he explained. But the company apparently did not reciprocate his good faith, as they repeatedly delayed payments despite their promises and eventually cut off all communications with him.

It wasn’t until Kim threatened the company with legal action that they paid him ₩5.00 million KRW (about $3,640 USD), which covered his dues only partially. The company went silent again after transferring the amount.

According to Kim, the agency told him that they didn’t have any more money, urging him to wait a little longer. JTBC’s report revealed that the agency also owed tens of millions of won to styling teams, costume manufacturers, and alteration shops as well.

While it is not unusual for an entertainment agency to face financial troubles like such, what really enraged the public was the revelation that the agency had just debuted a new idol group. According to reports, this agency in question is run by a first-generation mogul named Kim M, who launched many popular artists in the 1990s. Given that the company was able to debut a new group, it is clear that they had the funding to pay their dues as well. The fact that they chose not to has raised serious questions about their work ethic.

With mounting media pressure, the agency tried to redeem its image by stating that these payment failures were a result of “bookkeeping errors.” A representative from the company made a public statement recently, asserting that they had attained the necessary funds and were in the process of paying everyone whatever they were owed.