In this article, we’re going to cover a recent hot topic in the Korean music industry: an exclusive contract dispute between rookie girl group Fifty Fifty and their agency, Attract. Also related to this is the controversy over the “re-enactor” interviews on SBS’s current affairs program “It’s Good to Know”.
Exclusivity dispute between Fifty Fifty and an attraction
Fifty Fifty is a rookie girl group that is in a dispute with their agency, Attract. This issue was covered on the SBS current affairs program “It’s Good to Know” on August 19. The program focused on the claims of the Fifty Fifty members’ defense attorneys and family members, which led to criticism of “biased broadcasting.”
Because of this program, Fifty Fifty received 1146 complaints from the Korea Communications Commission this year, giving it the dubious distinction of being the most complained-about program in the country.
Controversial interview with “insider” A
The most controversial part of I Want You to Know is the interview with A, who is introduced as an “insider. A claimed that after Fifty Fifty’s Cupid song did well on the air, the agency representative appeared to be trying to use the girl group to make money. He also advised that he didn’t understand why the CEO was calling himself Fifty Shades of Fifty’s dad.
In response, an Attract official strongly disagreed, saying that it wasn’t even clear that Mr. A had actually worked for the company. “We will be filing criminal charges without prejudice against Mr. A for conducting the false interview.” Then, on October 11, she sued A for defamation by false light.
Re-enactors from I Want to Know What It’s Like
At this point, the dispatcher realized that Mr. A was actually a “re-enactor. The re-enactor who was interviewed by the crew was actually male, but his gender was switched to female for the broadcast.
“I want to know that” usually used re-enactors to protect sources or explain situations. However, in this interview, I didn’t “band” the facts and sources as they should have been clearer. We also mosaicked the faces to make them unrecognizable as real people.
As a result, the producers were criticized for having their backs against the wall when the attraction sued A for false and untimely defamation. In response, SBS said, “We do not have a position on this at this time.”
Fifty Fifty’s Exclusive Agreement Dispute Appeal
In August, Fifty Fifty filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against their agency, Attract. However, the application was denied and we immediately appealed.
However, member Kina announced her return to the attraction on April 16 after hiring new legal representation and filing a notice to withdraw her appeal. As a result, Attract has also formalized the termination of the remaining three employees.
The three remaining members of Fifty Fifty have vowed to continue fighting the attraction after Kina’s departure, saying they “feel there is a truth that must be uncovered.”
Conclusion
This concludes our coverage of the exclusive contract dispute between Fifty Fifty and Attractions and the controversy surrounding SBS It Wants to Know. It will be interesting to see how this is resolved in the future.
