No Investigations by Ministry in Past 5 Years
"Pressure from Major Agencies Still Persists"
Xiumin
It has been 10 years since the implementation of the "JYJ Act," which prohibits unfairly blocking celebrities from appearing on broadcasts, but concerns have been raised that the influence of major entertainment agencies still affects broadcast programming decisions.
On October 13, National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee member Jung Yeonwook stated, "While K-pop is achieving global success, unfair practices by major agencies continue behind the scenes."
The JYJ Act was enacted in 2015 following an incident in which SM Entertainment requested certain broadcasters to refrain from featuring JYJ. However, criticism has recently emerged that the "JYJ incident" is being repeated, as the broadcast appearance of Xiumin, formerly of EXO, was canceled after a dispute with his agency. Xiumin's agency, One Hundred, stated, "KBS unofficially informed us that it is impossible for SM artists and Xiumin to appear together."
The main issue lies with the response of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which serves as the supervisory authority. According to materials obtained by Assemblyman Jung's office, over the past five years, there have been no cases identified of celebrities being restricted or obstructed from appearing on broadcasts. No investigations or inspections have been conducted targeting major agencies, either.
Assemblyman Jung commented, "Even though the victimized agency publicly disclosed that they had been pressured, the Ministry responded that there was 'no incident,' which shows that its supervisory function has become paralyzed. It must take responsible action."
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