Omega X Win Lawsuit Against Label, Contracts Suspended
The boy group took Spire Entertainment to court in November 2022 after alleging they had been physically and sexually abused, threatened, and gaslighted by the company
With the injunction to suspend their contracts with Spire Entertainment, Omega X are free to pursue activities in the entertainment industry with no restrictions from their former label. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
In November last year, South Korean boy group Omega X took their label Spire Entertainment to court over accusations of physical and sexual abuse, assault and gaslighting. The group alleged that the label had been mistreating them for quite a while, and news of the abuse came to light in October 2022 thanks to various fans who had witnessed incidents of assault first-hand and shared what they had seen online. (For a more detailed breakdown of the entire case, head to our piece from November 2022, ‘The Trials of Omega X: A Complete Timeline.’)
Now, after a battle that lasted nearly two months, Omega X have announced their victory with the suspension of their exclusive contracts with Spire Entertainment.
SBS News – the Korean news platform that brought the entire case to light last year – reported today that the 21st Civil Affairs Department of the Seoul Eastern District Court had ruled in favor of Omega X and filed the injunction to suspend the 11 members’ contracts with Spire Entertainment. The court explained that the judgment was made after they determined that it would not be possible to maintain trust between the label and the members after everything that had transpired, stating, “We have judged that the basic relationship of trust has disappeared and it is difficult to maintain a normal contractual relationship at this time. If the contract is continued as valid, the members’ entertainment activities are expected to be greatly restricted.”
If the contracts with Spire Entertainment were to continue, Omega X would be barred from releasing new music, touring or participating in any other activities together outside of schedules planned by Spire Entertainment. With the restrictions that had already been put on Omega X regarding social media, new music activities and fan interactions even prior to the news of the abuse coming to light, it would not bode well for the group’s career to continue under Spire.
The court also took into consideration the abuse Omega X had faced from Spire Entertainment’s former CEO Kang Seonghee, and acknowledged that the relationship between the group and the CEO was “irreparable.” Kang was named as the main perpetrator in the instances of physical, verbal and sexual abuse, as well as “violating the members’ personal rights” when she cancelled the group’s flight tickets back home to Seoul after the conclusion of their U.S. tour – leaving the members stranded overseas.
Noh Jongeon, the lawyer representing Omega X in their case (who was also present at the November 2022 press conference), told SBS News, “This case is a case where the court brought attention to the atrocities of an agency that trampled [on] the dreams of young people. We welcome this ruling that respects human dignity and is based on common sense.”
The band also posted the announcement of the contract suspension on Instagram to notify their fandom, For X, stating:
“Hello, this is Omega X.
We have won the injunction against the agency today to suspend the validity of our exclusive contract with them.
Thanks to all of your support that you extended to us which gave us bravery, we were able to achieve this result.
Thank you for your concern and support all this time.
We love all the For X so much, thank you.
We will repay you with better music and great performances.
Thank you.”
Omega X debuted in 2021 and is a project group comprising idols who initially debuted in other groups and/or have participated in K-pop survival shows. Most of their former groups have either disbanded or are currently inactive, so for the members of Omega X, debuting again as a new group was a hard-won second shot at finding success in the Korean music industry.
With the injunction to suspend their contracts with Spire Entertainment, Omega X are free to pursue activities in the entertainment industry with no restrictions from their former label. While we’re not sure of their exact plans for the future, we do know that all the 11 members of the group plan to stay together and are hoping to find a way to release new music as Omega X.
