[TRANS] 110131 JYJ-KARA Situation Episode By ‘Sisa Magazine 2580’ Accused Of Bias

MBC’s ‘Sisa Magazine 2580’ released a report on the dispute between idols and their entertainment agencies but has fallen under a concentrated attack by JYJ fans. These fans of JYJ claim that the program was adjusted with a strong bias towards the entertainment agencies before it was aired.

On the 30th, ‘Sisa Magazine 2580’ aired an in depth report on the disputes between idols and their entertainment agencies as Kara’s proclamation to end their contract with their agency has brought up the controversy once more. The episode had garnered great attention before it aired for it was known that it would deal with JYJ’s situation as well, as they have been unable to appear on broadcasting channels due to their legal dispute after the disbandment of TVXQ.

However, many viewers expressed their disappointment after watching the show. Currently, complaints are flooding into the viewers’ thread. Viewers are showing their anger at the show stating, “You said you would handle the situation in a fair manner, but all you did was show the viewpoint of the strong side,” “If you’re going to report the situation in this kind of way, what makes you any different from the way entertainment shows are run?” “So what you’re trying to tell us is that it takes a lot of money to raise idol groups,” “You’ve done nothing but show the side of entertainment agencies,” and “This is a biased report.”

There are netizens demanding a fair report on the matter as SM Entertainment’s opinion received more air time in an interview with a SM representative while JYJ’s refutation was hardly shown. JYJ are holding the stance that they are not signed on to a dual contract as C-JES, the company in charge of managing JYJ, is their agency and not their entertainment company.

Some netizens have even criticized ‘Sisa Magazine 2580’ for randomly promoting a rookie girl group in the middle of the episode though they are not related to the report’s content whatsoever. While CEO Kim Kwang Soo was explaining that it is hard for entertainment agencies to gain profit when so much of the sales is spent on costs, the camera caught ‘Five Dolls’ rehearsing. ‘Five Dolls’ is the female unit group of ‘Co-ed’ that is preparing for their comeback.

Prain’s Head of Department Lee Jae Eun expressed her disapproval on her personal Twitter account when she stated, “They state that they will air a fair report but the amount of airing time the strong received compared to the weak is… Sigh…”

She continued to show her disappointment of the footage that was cut as she said, “In the interview, JYJ stated, “What’s most important is forming trust between artistes and their agencies. This new entertainment system will create a system of transparency that builds on a foundation of trust. We want to be treated like humans, not just objects to be sold in the market.””

Micky Yoochun, Xiah Junsu, and YoungWoong Jaejoong, who garnered explosive popularity in Asia as members of TVXQ, filed an exclusive contract suspension injunction against SM Entertainment in July, 2009 claiming that their contract was unjust. Afterwards, JYJ restarted their activities but have been facing troubles when it comes to appearing on broadcasting channels due to their legal dispute with SM.