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| Actor Kim Jung-hyun poses during a press conference for tvN's "Mr. Queen" in this Dec. 9 file photo / Korea Times file |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Actor Kim Jung-hyun has settled a bitter contract dispute with his former agency O& Entertainment, days after the two parties exchanged warnings over potential legal action.
In a joint statement issued Friday evening, Kim and O& Entertainment stated that they had reached a mutually agreeable settlement to terminate their contract as of May 11.
"Kim's representative (his elder brother) and O& Entertainment officials met in person to clear up the misunderstanding and terminate the exclusive contract without any conditions," they said in a statement.
Prior to reaching the agreement, Kim had argued that his contract should be considered terminated as of May 11 whereas O& Entertainment claimed that it must be extended by an additional 11 months to cover the time he dropped out of MBC's drama "Time" in 2018, citing health reasons.
Kim accused his former agency of forcing him to appear in "Time" despite knowing he was struggling with health issues. He added that the agency raised issues regarding his contract only when the company was on the brink of shutting down and letting actors go.
The agency refuted this claim, saying it was simply in the process of "reorganizing the business." It added that other actors it represented respected their contract terms without raising any concerns before they expired.
Kim's dispute with O& Entertainment surfaced in April when he was rumored to be dating "Crash Landing On You" co-star Seo Ji-hye. At that time, Seo's agency, Culture Depot, denied the rumor, stating that the two met to discuss his possible transfer to its management.
O& Entertainment accused Culture Depot of violating the Korea Entertainment Management Association's regulations on "poaching," which forbids agencies or artists from discussing or signing deals with other parties until three months before their exclusive contract ends.
Kim debuted with the film "Overman" in 2015, and has since appeared in hit drama series including tvN's romance "Crash Landing On You" and "Mr. Queen."
