Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Addresses Regulation Challenges of Tampering: The Need for Self-Regulation

During the thorough examination of the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly on October 24, Yu In-chon emphasized that the issue of tampering necessitates “self-regulation efforts from the industry itself.”

On that same day, Jin Jong-oh, a representative from the People Power Party, raised concerns regarding the Fifty Fifty tampering incident, stating, “A newly debuted group from a small agency was coerced into breaching their contract due to pressures from larger financial entities. This tampering issue complicates the ability of small agencies to maintain their relationships with artists and poses a threat to the growth of K-pop.”

In reply, Minister Yu In-chon remarked, “Ultimately, this is an aspect that demands substantial self-regulation from within the industry. Legal regulation proves to be quite challenging. While not an exact parallel, I believe NewJeans exemplifies a similar situation.”

He continued to explain, “We have engaged in multiple discussions with managers and involved parties, and we previously considered the possibility of implementing a FA system. Although various efforts to improve the on-ground circumstances have been made, there are still no definitive institutional solutions in place. Therefore, ongoing education and industry-driven self-regulation efforts are crucial.”

Earlier, in June of the previous year, ATTRAKT, the agency for Fifty Fifty, announced the halt of the group’s activities due to health-related issues among its members. They alleged that outside forces had approached the members during this downtime, leading to violations of their exclusive contracts, specifically accusing Warner Music Korea in this context.

At that juncture, all members of Fifty Fifty sought an injunction to suspend their exclusive agreements with ATTRAKT, but the court ultimately ruled in favor of ATTRAKT. Subsequently, Saena, Aran, and Sio lodged appeals, while Keena chose to return to ATTRAKT.

Currently, Fifty Fifty has been restructured into a five-member formation, including Keena, and they released their second mini-album titled “Love Tune” on September 20. On the other hand, Saena, Aran, and Sio, who departed from ATTRAKT, established a new group named “ablume” under MASSIVE E&C on October 15.

Moreover, on October 23, ATTRAKT initiated a lawsuit for 20 billion won against Warner Music Korea’s former CEO Clayton Jin and the current executive director Yoon Hyung-geun, both of whom have denied the allegations.

Source: Daum

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