Source Music will have to pay a fine as ordered by South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC).
Continue reading to know what happened.
Source Music to Pay Fine for THIS Violation
In 2021, Source Music announced that GFRIEND will disband, hence, they will refund the fan club membership fees. The company used a Google questionnaire to return the fees. However, a problem occurred after some fans filled out the form.
In particular, the questionnaire's private settings were accidentally set to public, leaking the personal information of 22 fans.
On April 13, the Personal Information Protection Commission fined Source Music three million won for violating the Personal Information Protection Act.
ALSO READ: Source Music Criticized for Putting LE SERRAFIM Kim Garam in Center of Group Photos
Back in June 2021, Source Music released an apology statement for the leak, stating, "As we consign some of our personal details handling process to the platform as part of our membership management, Source Music is obligated to exercise strict management and oversight but failed to do so. We apologize for this negligence."
The label added, "In response to this incident, the error was corrected quickly after it was discovered and a report was filed with the Personal Information Protection Commission."
In addition to Source Music, five more companies are ordered to pay a fine for the same violation, such as Balkari, Hyundai Easywell, Min Byeong Cheol Education Group, LG HelloVision, and Bungbang Market.
Source Music is yet to release a response regarding this matter.
Source Music Denies School Bullying Rumors Against LE SSERAFIM's Kim Garam
In other news, Source Music is currently in the process of preparing their new girl group, LE SSERAFIM. However, most of the members are embroiled in various controversies, and one of them is Kim Garam.
On April 5, the company unveiled Kim Garam as the next member of LE SSERAFIM. On the same day, allegations that she was involved in school violence began to surface on various online communities.
READ MORE: 'We're LE SSERAFIM' Teaser Draws Criticism for Looking 'Cheap'
One netizen, who claimed to have graduated from the same middle school as Kim Garam, stated that the LE SSERAFIM member would message her juniors on Facebook if they did not greet her properly. They continued that Kim would also drink and smoke.
Another netizen claiming to be Garam's middle school classmate said that the upcoming idol did all sorts of things back then. They added that she would curse at other students if they passed by her. More allegations about her were made on the same day.
Following the accusations, Source Music issued a statement to deny the claims. The label said they have confirmed through a third-party statement that Kim Garam was actually the victim of school bullying, such as cyberbullying and malicious rumors, and not the perpetrator.
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They added, "We believe that the allegations are maliciously intended to harm the artist who is about to debut, and we inform that Source Music has taken legal action against the spread of unilateral and distorted accusations and false information related to this case."
Source Music then asked everyone to refrain from speculative reporting based on suspicions that are currently being maliciously raised online.
Meanwhile, Source Music has announced on April 13 that LE SSERAFIM will debut on May 2 at 6 p.m. KST with their first mini-album "FEARLESS." The group will also hold a fan showcase at 8 p.m. KST on the same evening.
The new girl group will begin dropping teasers for their upcoming mini-album on April 18 with a debut trailer.
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Written by Maria Scott
