YG Entertainment is officially outfitted for legal battle, having hired three lawyers from the law firm Kim & Chang, one of the top firms in Korea, in preparation for a lawsuit from Happyface Entertainment regarding the contracts that were in place for “MIXNINE.”

Happyface Entertainment, which houses MIXNINE’s first place finisher Woo Jin Young, first put the lawsuit into motion this past June, demanding 10 million won (approximately $9,000) in damages from YG. Happyface cited heavy-handed tactics from YG in which they used their weight as a big player in the industry to unilaterally extend their own management of the final “MIXNINE” group from four months to three years, as well as breached contract terms by not covering trainees’ expenses for the duration of the program. Moreover, claims Happyface, the profits from the “MIXNINE” songs were not distributed as agreed upon, and the decision to cancel the final group’s debut plans were also unilateral by YG.

The hearing for the lawsuit will take place on August 30.

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