Warner Music Korea denied allegations of trying to “poach” members of girl group Fifty Fifty from its original agency.

The statement came after Attrakt, the agency behind Fifty Fifty, argued Monday morning that Warner Music Korea had been trying to steal members and make them sign with them instead. Warner Music Korea is the distributor for Fifty Fifty’s music.

“Using Warner Music Group’s capability and networks, we did our utmost to help Fifty Fifty and its agency to have their achievements shine even further, and it is extremely regretful that such unfortunate allegations have been raised,” said the company in a press release on Monday afternoon.

“Claims made by Attrakt are groundless and we also find it regretful that the agency had asked us to prove this situation,” the company added. “We respect our artists and its agency and did our very best as a global distributor.”

Attrakt made a statement on Friday that outside parties have been approaching the girl group members to break their contracts. The name Warner Music Korea was revealed on Monday.

Fifty Fifty debuted in 2022 under new agency Attrakt. “Cupid,” the group’s latest EP released on Feb. 24, garnered global popularity, landing on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for 13 weeks in a row — a record for a K-pop girl group.

The girl group is currently taking a break after its member Aran, underwent surgery in May. The agency said that she was advised to take “at least a month, to two months of rest to fully recover” before resuming any activity.

To find out more about Fifty Fifty, check Celeb Confirmed!  

BY YONG-JUN CHO [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]