Singer Yoonha says she ended contract with agency amid settlement dispute

Singer Yoonha has announced that she ended her exclusive contract with C9 Entertainment, the agency she had been with for 14 years, over unpaid settlement funds.

On Monday, Yoonha wrote on her Instagram that she had terminated her exclusive contract with C9 Entertainment in September, adding that remaining issues would be resolved through the procedures established by law.

"Although something unwelcome has happened, I will sort things out one by one and come to meet you all," she wrote, and went on to say, "Thank you for waiting, and I will repay you with good music and performances."

Yoonha also asked fans to keep in mind that the artists and staff at C9 Entertainment had no part in the matter. She closed her post with the words, "I am fine."

Her legal representative, law firm Illo, said Monday that Yoonha's side had demanded corrective action over a long-running failure to pay settlement funds, and after the demand went unmet, notified the agency of contract termination in September.

The law firm added that C9 Entertainment had itself acknowledged through an official letter that the termination took effect on Sept. 14. Yoonha's side said it would resolve remaining matters through legal proceedings while continuing her music career.

C9 Entertainment has yet to issue an official statement.

Yoonha first signed an exclusive contract with C9 Entertainment in 2012 and renewed twice, staying with the agency for 14 years.

Yoonha debuted in Japan in 2004 and won a wide following with songs including "Password 486," "Waiting" and "We Broke Up Today." In 2022, "Event Horizon," a B-side from the repackaged edition of her sixth studio album, shot back up the streaming charts and ushered in a second peak in her career.