MBK Entertainment's Kim Kwang Soo Explains Why He Wants To Keep T-ara's Name

MBK Entertainment head Kim Kwang Soo has revealed why he wants to keep T-ara’s name.

It was announced on January 19 that the T-ara members filed documentation outlining grounds for rejection of MBK Entertainment’s trademark application for the group name. MBK Entertainment filed for trademark rights of the group name T-ara in December 2017.

On January 19, Kim Kwang Soo said about the issue, “I have no greed about the name T-ara. I don’t have plans to pick new members for T-ara. I just want to protect the name T-ara. Can’t I keep the traces of the hard work our company put in during that time to make the name known to the public?”

T-ara debuted in 2009 with the members chosen by Kim Kwang Soo himself. T-ara started off as a six-member group, and experienced some lineup changes during their history. T-ara’s remaining four members left the company in December of 2017.

Kim Kwang Soo shared, “After deciding on the name T-ara, I chose the members and created the group. Everything began with the name. It’s not something just owned by the four members, Hyomin, Jiyeon, Eunjung, and Qri. It belongs to the company and everyone who has worked with T-ara.”

This is the first time MBK Entertainment has filed for a trademark application. Kim Kwang Soo also formed SG Wannabe and Davichi, but those two groups are now promoting under B2M Entertainment.

In regards to this, Kim Kwang Soo explained, “We gave permission for SG Wannabe and Davichi to use their names after they went to different companies. The members respectfully asked themselves to keep their group names. I allowed it to happen. It could have been the same for T-ara. However, some members have shown only greed for the name, and their actions don’t match their words. We’ve been together for 10 years, so I am very upset.”

Hyomin, Jiyeon, Eunjung, and Qri are currently without an agency after their contracts with MBK Entertainment ended. However, the members shared their desire to keep T-ara through messages posted on their social media accounts.

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