A groundbreaking revision to Korea's Broadcast Act passed in the National Assembly on Monday, reports local Korean outlets.
The revision, dubbed the "JYJ bill," will prevent Korean broadcasters from being able to ban celebrities from appearing on programs without clear reason. The bill was nicknamed after the situation of K-pop trio JYJ, who have allegedly been kept off of music programs unjustly by influence from the member's former entertainment agency.
Under the "JYJ bill," broadcasters are subjected to fines if the violate the law and ban entertainers unjustly.
Since the three members of JYJ left SM Entertainment, the largest Korean entertainment agency, the group has been absent from weekly Korean music shows.
JYJ, made up of Kim Jaejoong, Park Yoochun, and Kim Junsu, were formerly members of TVXQ under SM Entertainment and left the group in 2009 after filing a contract nullification lawsuit. In 2010, the three formed the trio JYJ.
Despite releasing multiple albums and singles, JYJ has been allegedly banned from appearing on Korean broadcast television due to SM Entertainment's power in the industry. The bill revision will aim to rectify the situation.
The K-Pop Herald reported that broadcasters who violate the law will be subject to a fine of up to 2 percent of relevant sales related to each violation.
Representative Choi Min Hee of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) proposed the "JYJ bill."
"The passage of the bill is expected to guarantee the rights of entertainers, including JYJ, who have been violated by the tyranny of large entertainment agencies," the K-Pop Herald reported Rep. Choi saying.
JYJ is currently on hiatus while Jaejoong and Yoochun fulfill their mandatory military service. XIA Junsu most recently featured on Psy's latest album. The two collaborated on the song "Dream," a commemorative track in honor of Shin Hae Chul.
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Tamar Herman is a multi-media journalist and the co-founder of KultScene. She is a freelance writer and copy editor, and has written for MTV Iggy, Noisey, and Paste Magazine.
