K-pop superstar CL, former leader of 2NE1, has landed in the spotlight for more than her music.
An exclusive report recently revealed that her personal label Very Cherry may have been operating outside Korea’s entertainment-business rules for nearly five years—raising serious legal questions and plenty of industry chatter.
What exactly happened, how big is the issue, and what does it mean for CL’s future?
Now, let’s dive into the details across Asia’s buzzing entertainment scene.
Background: The Beginning of Very Cherry
CL established Very Cherry in 2020 to act as a one-woman agency to manage her solo music career and other creative projects.
But investigators now confirm the company never completed the required government registration, even though it has been active for almost five years.
A representative admitted the oversight:
“We recently confirmed the lack of registration and are taking it very seriously. The registration process is now being expedited.”
The Law: What South Korea Requires
Under the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act, any company or individual that manages or represents entertainers must officially register as a pop culture/arts planning business.
Failure to do so can lead to:
- Up to two years in prison, or
- Fines of up to 20 million KRW (around $14,500 USD).
Any contracts or business deals made without registration are legally invalid.
A Wider Industry Problem
CL is not alone. Korean entertainment authorities have been auditing one-person celebrity agencies to check their legal status.
Recent high-profile cases include: Ock Joo-hyun, Sung Si-kyung, Song Ga-in, and Kang Dong-won—with Ock Joo-hyun and Sung Si-kyung already under police investigation.
This growing list shows how the trend of solo celebrity labels is colliding with strict business regulations.
Government Response
According to Korean media (including Naver reports), the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced a grace period until December 31, 2025.
During this time, entertainment agencies can voluntarily complete their registration with step-by-step guidance from the ministry.
After that deadline, administrative investigations and legal actions will follow for anyone still unregistered.
Current Status
Very Cherry has openly admitted the mistake and says the registration process is being fast-tracked.
For now, CL is the topic of conversation within both the media and the industry itself while people largely wait to see if authorities are going to act further on this.
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Key Takeaways
- This is one more incident demonstrating the challenges of legal compliance an artist in South Korea’s entertainment world encounters, particularly when they go out independently and have created their own labels to promote their own work.
- It also demonstrates the critical nature of following registration and oversight of businesses, even with some of the most respected and recognizable artists in the industry.
- As the whole thing goes down in the public eye of governing officials, the audience and the industry are taking note of what actions CL makes in response, and how that plays out in the K-pop landscape over the long term.
What are your thoughts: mistake, or negligence?Comment your opinion below if you’d like, and we can have a conversation!
