“Official Letters of Request to Restrain JYJ’s Activities Violate the Fair Trade Act”
Park Sunsook, a member of the Parliament and of the Democratic Party, demanded that the Fair Trade Commission takes an active role with regards to investigating the unfair trade practices of the entertainment industry.
On the 13th in the National Assembly State Affairs Plenary Session, Park inquired to the Fair Trade Commission to investigate whether a violation of the Fair Trade Act had occurred, raising the fact that the Korean Federation of Pop Culture and Art Industry (hereafter KFPCAI) has sent to entertainment companies and broadcasting stations and such official letters of request that the entities refrain from asking the group JYJ to appear.
JYJ is a group formed by Kim Jaejoong, Park Yoochun, and Kim Junsu of TVXQ.
Park said: “In the past 5 years, the Fair Trade Commision has issued orders for correction in the field of the entertainment industry in only two cases. The two cases both were related to Korea’s prominent agency SM Entertainment.”
Park pointed out: “I am not skeptical of the ability of the Korean Wave which has gone beyond Asia and even into Europe to compete. However, I believe that if that market is created by using the dominant position of a certain agency, that ability to compete will not last for long.”
Park inquired also that the Fair Trade Commission considers converting the Model Exclusive Contract (T/N: drafted as examples for industry members to use by the Fair Trade Commission) for the entertainment field into an Official Notification which has the force of law (in order to strengthen its binding force). At this, Kim Dongsu, the chairman of the Commission, answered: “Yes, we will.”
JYJ3 
wow!! hope this happens for real! 🙂 JYJ FIGHTING!!!
WOW TOGETHER WITH YOU!!!! I’m so happy now!!!!! So little by little system is starting to change ^^ Admins – thank you!!!
Better late than never. But I don’t expect much from it, since what happened in the past between the Commission and SME, nothing serious came out from it
not expect much either,but all i can say is hope for the best….prepare for the worst…
“I am not skeptical of the ability of the Korean Wave which has gone beyond Asia and even into Europe to compete. However, I believe that if that market is created by using the dominant position of a certain agency, that ability to compete will not last for long.”
lol I remember we on here said similar.
lol then maybe he’s looking into JYJ3 xD lol
We’ll have to wait and see. So far they keep on saying these things, but nothing seems to change
*nod*
I want to shake hand with the parliament member..hehe
me too! Fighting parliament member! Please continue making justice happen in your country!
One good news after another. Did anyone read the article on Allkpop about stars who make the most money from CF’s? ^_^
Lee Young Ae = $1.1 million
Big Bang = $1 million
Rain/Go Hyun Jung = $920,000
2PM /JYJ = $740,000 ***************
And our babies got there with NO PROMOTIONS as JYJ =) Alot of koreans have never even heard of JYJ yet. Can’t wait until their complete free to release albums and to promote them on TV. Also dramas!
ya i’m happy for them, that is a lot of money ^____^, I like to see JYJ live comfortable without debt and financial worries.
Yes, I’m always worried about their financial welfares because their legal fee’s take alot out of them..especially if they got a really good lawyer. And SM dragging out this case doesn’t help -.-;
..jesss..please,do that..
..actually this issue should have been brought up last autumn/winter,but better later,then never..
lol, i’m glad to see some legal action. After the Busan concert, the government finally see the “JYJ effect” so maybe they want to take advantage of JYJ popularity to boost their current economy. Hopefully, we can finally see some justice.
Yeah. I’m wondering if that was the last straw…haha!!
HA!! Take that!!!
*claps*
Can’t wait!!
Gah…what’s taking them so long?! Are they debating whether to take that bribe from SM? Is that it? Pfft.
“Take that” so reminds me of P. Diddy.
Oh lords.
Uh….ok? LOL
Wasn’t even thinking of any of that when I typed. 😀
“take that” reminds me a british pop idol LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO
Yep !!! So far nothing change….Saying but doing nothing about it…..JYJ only been loved by their Fans all over the world….
all they know is talk no action taken
reading this feels good! although it’s hard to believe that something gonnoa happen!
JYJ Fighting!
OMG! Yes…………………I have suffered as MIA2 to see this happen. Now as retrokim I find progress! LOL! OK, My lame username has nothing to do with this but still.
“I believe that if that market is created by using the dominant position of a certain agency, that ability to compete will not last for long.” Yes Mr. Park, I completely agree. Get on it, Fair Trade Commission!!!!!!
JYJ Fighting!
Korea Fighting!!!
Ah…so that’s you!! hi!! 😀
@retrokim
Are you MIA ? By any chance ?
Yes, she is.
@Shuheilove
Hi Shuhei !!! She’s MIA after all…
This is what I’ve bben waiting for….finally someone questioned KFC!I suddenly crave for chicken,fried chicken..anyone???
Right I thought that too. Finally cause my sister and I discussed this and she was like “South Korea has in a capital system, a democratic system, right, well isn’t that illegal?” And I was like…you have a point. Finally someone question this ban. Esp if the product or service isn’t harmful…there should be no reason for banning.
Anyway. Let’s hope for the best of JYJ…Even a slightly step of changes enlightened us…We want “Real Changes” for JYJ !!!
yeah great! I hope the parliament can do something to correct the unfairness.. JYJ Fighting!!!!
jyj realy legend…………..they can change anything,never forget name of jyj………still keep the fight..
¡WAHOOO! At last a member of the Parliament, Mr. Park Sunsook demands the Fair Trade Comission to investigate the nefarious KFPCAI’s letters sent everywhere within the SKorean media, in order to block JYJ. The paragraph below has the most importance:
“Park pointed out: “I am not skeptical of the ability of the Korean Wave which has gone beyond Asia and even into Europe to compete. However, I believe that if that market is created by using the dominant position of a certain agency, that ability to compete will not last for long.”
Dominant position of a certain agency: “SME”.
“Park inquired also that the Fair Trade Commission considers converting the Model Exclusive Contract (T/N: drafted as examples for industry members to use by the Fair Trade Commission) for the entertainment field into an Official Notification which has the force of law (in order to strengthen its binding force). At this, Kim Dongsu, the chairman of the Commission, answered: “Yes, we will.”
¡EXCELLENT! I’ll be praying for this to become a winning reality soon.
@Shuheilove
The problem with the Fair Trade Commission has been that even after strong and definite demands to SM in their earlier rulings **, SM completely ignored all of their judgements and findings and nothing was ever done about it. The FTC have no ability to enforce their rulings, in other words.
But still–this is a good thing. The more light that is shed on these evil doings the more these rats will scurry and hopefully, best case scenario, back down. Honestly I think that’s all JYJ is asking for at this point. “Just leave us alone, let us compete fairly in the marketplace.”
**see [Summary] SM v. Korean Fair Trade Commission JYJFiles
http://thejyjfiles.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/2002-judgment-korean-fair-trade-commission-versus-sm-entertainment/?cpage=1#comment-7302
@lilibaiyu, once again, agree hands down feet down with you!~ hehehe~ Wise and level-headed words from one cool cucumber~~ ^O^ Only reality can prove whether or not the FTC is capable of working things out~ Sigh…. however, as long as JYJ is constantly staying in the news, one day I believe something can be changed, or overturned~~
@Lilibaiyu @htwong85
As I said once, there MUST be or must EXIST one authority who has enough power to force SME to obey the court rulings.
Despite the fact that SME has political allies who are actively helping them; many government agents are being awared of the situation by the day. And, at the end, something must happen for the good sake of JYJ boys. I’m sure about that.
Agreed with what you said!
This…has the potential for EPICNESS.
I hope this isn’t just lip service and that some stuff gets done.
I had this feeling yesterday and I told my family also that the concert in Pusan brought to an end the beginning, and we are now starting on the career of JYJ, stage #2. Junsu’s tweet confirmed my feeling about it. This on the very next day is the natural consequence of that. I don’t think anyone was willing to stick out their necks for a group which wasn’t going to survive. Nobody wants to represent the losing side. Now they see JYJ as winners, so they want to be on that side.
But I am still skeptical of politicians. They like to say things that will make it look like they are doing something to avoid criticism, but never follow it up with any action.
At the very least the entertainment media has to be a bit more careful about what they are doing with JYJ….. We’ll see.
JYJ men are really brilliant, they do much thinking in their every move, though sometimes they commit wrong moves, but they are able to keep the game in a fighting match, no check mate.
When they announced Pusan as the venue for World Tour finale, everybody was surprised why Pusan, why not Seoul, considering the availability of venues and accessiblity. They took the challenge to have it in Pusan even with a smaller venue ….the results and the effects can explain why?
Good move Jae, Chun and Su !
Love your comment!
i hope this actually goes somewhere, but let us at least revel in the fact that someone has pointed this out (and it’s not one of us)? :3
woah another wonderful step.. go go go.. ♥ JYJ fighting ♥
love this article. hopefully something great coming out from it for REAL.. Keep on fighting JYJ..
The wheels of history are rolling in motion, bit by bit, inch by inch, just as they have always did~ It’s an uphill battle, but with strong and undying support from the family together with the humble hardworking pioneering spirits of our boys, we will all stamp a huge footprint in history~ I guess Pusan con shook things up, for good~ Although no one is sure if this is merely lip service, coming from a politician, it is nonetheless a sure sign that important people are finally sitting up and taking serious notice of the power of JYJ effect~ They know they cannot stop the strong waves from sweeping into Korea and sweeping out into the world, hopefully they do take some effective and notable actions in order to return back the rights of performing freedom to our boys and truly save the Korean Wave~
This history in making is simply EPIC!!!! JYJ is EPIC!!!
Simply can’t stop myself from leering crazily~~~ yikes!!
OMG this is awesome! I hope this situation turns to better soon
it is a good start. Just to let people know that Democratic party only hold about 70 seats whereas the conservative party takes 160 seats. The decsion will soley rely on the conservative party’s view as well. SM seems to have some connections with members in the conservative party and that is why despite being investigated two times by FTC and the police, SM still survives and expands in the past 10 years.
@true
” SM seems to have some connections with members in the conservative party and that is why despite being investigated two times by FTC and the police, SM still survives and expands in the past 10 years.”
Yes, this is what is so troubling. SM has some kind of behind-the-scenes connections with people very high up in the gov’t. But even so, if there is enough outcry from various quarters against what has happened to JYJ in the last 2 years in Korea, perhaps it will do some good.
Hello, all of the 17,000 plus people who just attended the concerts in Busan?? Why don’t you write to your congressmen about this travesty? That would be an excellent start.
the best way is to increase the number of seat for the democratic party by voting for them in the next election so their voice can become the majority in the cabinit.
@lilibaiyu
Oh gosh, at times like this I wish I was Korean.
@Sapphire
Hi Sapphie! 🙂 Yes, I share your frustration–mine mainly comes from not speaking the language, so I am not able to write, tweet, do anything to interact in these situations when I know (or at least I believe) that every voice counts.
What we are all witnessing here is SK deciding whether to take a quantum leap in revamping how it’s been letting the entertainment industry operate essentially any way it pleases all these years. It’s a young industry as my friend, Korean expert witness Don Southerton said: actually what he said was that it is in its infancy. As in, here in the U.S. think the ’40s and ’50s. I can assure you much funny business was going on back then and artists were routinely robbed blind and left with nothing.
I always used to wonder about this. Why was it so routinely the case in the beginning, this “Everything for ME, Nothing for YOU” mentality among the music biz suits. The only theory that I could ever come up with is that there is a basic jealousy and unacknowledged rage between the business people and the artists, who often appear to be having so much fun and or seem lazy and egocentric. Maybe also a lack of even the most basic education of musicians and singing stars back in the beginning. Beyond that, I got nothin’. SM, as we know, gets young raw talent, the younger the better and signs them up to punishing servitude without benefit of legal advice. (This is one of the reasons JYJ will win their freedom. Any court will know that is just WRONG.)
But let’s hope and keep out fingers crossed. I believe strongly in the JYJ Effect. Let’s pray we see it in action here.
@lilibaiyu
*hugs you* The language barrier is frustrating, but one that can be overcome. What’s even more frustrating is having some idea of what the issues really are, but no political power to help bring about the much needed changes. At least we have the economic power not to support sm or avex, but I really wish we i-fans could do more. About the only thing we can do is let the S Korean govt know that more & more of the international community are watching them & their policies, because of JYJ.
@Sapphire
” About the only thing we can do is let the S Korean govt know that more & more of the international community are watching them & their policies, because of JYJ.”
Yes. That we CAN do and we must continue to do it every way we know how. I know that SK wants to be taken seriously as an up-and-coming player in the global marketplace. I think we can exert some pressure there–they are showing us an opening. If we exert enough pressure and protest, if enough business leaders get together and announce, ‘This one company SM is making us all look bad. Something has to be done!”
Who knows–it just might effect a change.
thanks true…
who would have thought that i could learn about SK’s ” Democratic party only hold about 70 seats whereas the conservative party takes 160 seats.” in JYJ3?
YES! I rejoice w some of u (bt still stay remains suspicious n doubtful =.= fandom taught me lol) Truly, sth HAS to be come as a result -_- if not it’s only useless talk w/ no effective action… hope for gd news anyway 🙂 JYJ FTW!! =D
Can the court enforce laws and orders to protect their people?
Can prosecution deliver well enough to capture the corrupted and authoritarian SME company?
Korea is in the midst of overhauling the authoritarian judicial system it inherited from Japanese colonial rulers. (This quote from South Korea justice officials to study U.S. jury system in Santa Clara County By Tracey Kaplan tkaplan@mercurynews.com)
It ‘s good news 🙂
@cat95
“Can prosecution deliver well enough to capture the corrupted and authoritarian SME company?”
No. there’s been a suspicious disconnect within the prosecutor’s office to not go ahead with any actual enforcement of the court’s and the FTC’s rulings as regards SM. Some one or some group of men high up in the justice dept. is stopping the prosecutor’s office from going ahead. So it’s been frustrating, to say the least. Even when the court rules in your favor, if it’s against SM, nothing ever changes.
Kaching -kaching… 😦
o my, gonna call up korean friends and ask them to vote for democrats next time LOL…
god this is epic
JYJ and his fans are achieving
before others tried the same and sank
if anyone can change anything is JYJ
Korean justice but leaves much to be desired
@junsajyj
“if anyone can change anything is JYJ
Korean justice but leaves much to be desired”
Now THAT I happen to agree with 100%. If anybody can do it, they can. Let’s put all our hopes, prayers and belief in “the JYJ Effect.”
hopefully these words are put into action. its about time someone question those kfc letters.
Good that this is getting more attention, I just hope (but remaining cautious) that this time around there is more sticking power when it comes to cracking down on these companies.
Oh snap. Can I just say a huge ‘finally’?
Hope they’re not just doing lipservice. It’s about time someone is raising the red flag over KFC’s letter. It’s, like, only, 7 months late? Censorship of an innocent in a country that courts democracy?
That’s just asking for trouble if they allow it to fester.
finally someone in the parliament notice. i just hope it will continue to wake those members in the government.
OMG, OMG…I just read this News..and soooooooo happy with this….the real justice has finally revealed…JYJ Fighting ! ❤
If the South Korean Justice authority seriously wanted to make a change to this out-dated and corrupted system in their entertainment industry, it will take years to go ‘clean’. Good that some power authorties have started to and wanted to make an effort to look into this issue.
Eventually it will benefits the future upcoming artistes. It will give the new artistes a better working conditions and so on.
All thanks to JYJ episode with their previous agency . Without JYJ fandom or general public who follow the lawsuit closely , this article don’t exist at all. This is all possible with JYJ fandom/general public who wholeheartedly give our supports from what we see in these young men , their positive attitudes in their most challenge time in their live.
To me, JYJ don’t wait for S korean justice system to go ‘clean’ as we can see without it, JYJ is being ‘block’ but supporters will find ways to crash any available gates. And gates that are block by power chanels,these chanels simply loose out more viewerships. Of course if their justice system comes clean,JYJ benefits but its just taking too much time.
well xDDD
I love this quote when I’ve conversation with my uncle ..
“an educated person is one who talks about facts and data”
It’s so true~~ if facts and data are definite there would not raise questions, because what we are talking about is about FACTS and DATA
I do hope FTC will do their job 😀
everybody!!! be ready with JYJ NEW ALBUM~ xDDDDDD
*save money*
Has JYJ announced it already ?