Several South Korean celebrities agencies, including CL’s ‘Very Cherry,’ are under scrutiny for operating without proper registration for artist management. This lapse violates the Act on the Development of the Public Culture and Arts Industry, potentially leading to penalties.According to TenAsia, CL’s one-person agency ‘Very Cherry’ operated for about five years without the required registration for artist management, and a company representative acknowledged the lapse while fast-tracking filings. The account situates the case within a broader compliance sweep reshaping Korea’s star-run management landscape.
Detailed parallel cases
The unfolding scrutiny has brought concrete timelines and procedures into focus across several celebrity outfits. Ock Joo-hyun’s TOI Entertainment, tied to activity that remained unregistered for years, underwent formal police intake following public complaints; after issuing a renewed apology, paperwork was filed in mid-September while inquiries continued. Sung Si-kyung’s SK Jaewon faced allegations of remaining unregistered since 2011, with the matter assigned to a police investigation unit after a civil-complaint filing and followed by a written apology outlining the operational history. Additional coverage indicated Song Ga-in’s 2024-founded GainDal Entertainment had not finalised registration, with management partner JG Star stating it believed an existing registration already covered activities and pledging swift compliance. Actor Kang Dong-won’s 2023-founded AA Group acknowledged lagging registration amid media scrutiny and said procedures began immediately after recognising the lapse.
Legal stakes
South Korea’s Act on the Development of the Public Culture and Arts Industry mandates registration for corporations and qualifying sole proprietors that manage entertainers. Violations can bring penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment or fines up to 20 million KRW, approximately 1.3 million INR, and may also trigger administrative measures, including business suspension.
Government response
With cases accumulating, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced an industry-wide guidance window through December 31 to encourage voluntary corrective filings. Officials indicated that operations remaining unregistered after that date could face administrative investigations and referrals for prosecution, signalling firmer enforcement toward star-led labels.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source timesofindia.indiatimes.com ’
