In connection with the scandal that has been raging since last week around Jisoo’s older brother, Kim Jung Hoon, who is suspected of sexual harassment and domestic violence, lawyer Eun Hyun Ho of the law firm Kim & Chang, representing Jisoo’s agency BLISSOO, issued a statement on April 20.

BLISSOO is Jisoo’s personal agency and brand, which she founded in 2024 after terminating her exclusive contract with YG Entertainment.

As can be understood from the statement, lawyer Eun denies any connection between the artist, BLISSOO, and Kim Jung Hoon. Kim Jung Hoon has no role in managing BLISSOO and receives no remuneration for any activity whatsoever. Anyone who links Jisoo to “this matter” will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

The most striking aspect of the statement is that the name Kim Jung Hoon and the word “brother” are never mentioned. He is referred to as “that person”, “that individual”, and so on. It is understandable that the statement was drafted by a law firm striving to maintain a legal tone, but in the language of public relations — the language of communication with society — this signals a maximal reluctance to utter either the man’s name or his family relationship to Jisoo, on whose behalf the statement is made.

Thus, Jisoo’s agency denies not only financial and legal ties, but, it seems, also familial and human ones.

Also noteworthy is that the statement expresses not a single word of sympathy for the victims of violence. They are not mentioned at all. However, deep regret was expressed over the spread of content linking the artist and BLISSOO to “this matter” — that is the phrase chosen to refer to the allegations of sexual harassment and domestic violence against Kim Jung Hoon.

It is hard to imagine that the lawyers could not find the right words to express appropriate sympathy — so expected from a public figure in Korean communication culture — while maintaining a balance and in no way (if they so wish) admitting responsibility for “this matter” involving her brother. This is indeed strange.

At present, South Korean police are still investigating the claims of attempted sexual assault and domestic violence. It remains unclear whether the incident will develop further.

Full text of the statement:

“This is attorney Eun Hyun Ho of Kim & Chang, legal representative of BLISSOO.

Regarding the situation involving the family of the BLISSOO artist that has recently spread through certain media outlets, online communities, and social media, we express deep regret over the groundless defamatory claims that link the artist and BLISSOO to this matter, or that damage their reputation based on false information.

First, the issues currently being raised are completely unrelated to the artist or BLISSOO, and most of the content circulating online consists of unverified speculation or outright lies.

The artist began her career as a trainee at a young age, became independent early, and has lived apart from her family for a long time; as a result, she is in a position where she cannot know about or intervene in the private life of this individual.

Furthermore, although the artist received help from family members in the form of limited advice and communication with relevant parties during the preparatory phase of establishing BLISSOO, no family member has ever received any compensation from BLISSOO or participated in decision-making from that time to the present. Since then, the company has been managed completely independently, without any connection to family members.

In particular, we clearly state that the claims circulating in some media and online — such as ‘the said individual and the artist joined forces to establish the company’ or ‘the said individual is a member of management or the CEO of BLISSOO’ — are completely false, and that the said individual currently has no legal or managerial relationship with BLISSOO.

Moreover, BLISSOO and the artist are not providing any financial or legal support to the said individual, nor do they plan to provide such support in the future. Furthermore, they are not engaging in any exchange or involvement regarding this matter.

Nevertheless, the continued dissemination of content that contradicts the facts, or the use and distribution of the artist’s name, portrait, or image by associating them with unrelated issues, constitutes a clear violation of rights and defamation. Accordingly, we sternly warn that we intend to immediately take all possible civil and criminal legal action against the following acts:

- Disseminating false information or creating and distributing defamatory statements;
- Using the artist’s name, portrait, or image for unrelated purposes;
- Publishing speculative content in the form of articles or creating content without fact-checking.

In particular, we clearly state our intention to take a firm stance against malicious or repeated creators and disseminators of such posts, without any leniency or settlement.”

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6