CL, a member of 2NE1, is facing a prosecutorial review after allegations surfaced that her one-person label operated without the legally required talent agency registration.
On the 22nd, Sports Kyunghyang reported that the Seoul Yongsan Police Station recently decided to refer CL and her corporation, along with the head of actor Kang Dong Won’s agency—identified as Representative A—and that corporation, to the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office without detention. The referral is on charges of violating the Act on the Development of the Public Culture and Arts Industry.
According to investigators, CL allegedly operated her one-person label, Very Cherry, for more than five years following its launch in 2020 without registering it as a pop culture arts management business, as required by law. As CL was directly involved as the label’s representative, she will be sent to prosecutors as a suspect.
In Kang Dong Won’s case, his agency, AA Group, reportedly operated for approximately two years and nine months after its establishment in 2023 without completing the necessary registration. Representative A and the corporation will be referred on the same charge; however, Kang himself was not referred, as authorities determined he was not involved in the company’s management.
The investigation began in September last year after a complaint alleged that several celebrities’ one-person agencies were operating without proper registration. During a broader review of multiple companies, police say they identified signs of unregistered operations at both CL’s label and Kang Dong Won’s agency.
Under current law, managing artists without official registration is punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won. Recently, representatives of agencies linked to Ok Joo Hyun, Honey Lee, Sung Si Kyung, and Song Ga In were also referred to prosecutors on similar charges, reflecting increased regulatory scrutiny across the entertainment industry.