FIFTY FIFTY’s Agency & CEO Sued “Unanswered Questions” PD & CP For Defamation
FIFTY FIFTY’s agency Attrakt and CEO Jeon Hong-joon filed a complaint against “Unanswered Questions” CP and PD
On April 16th, FIFTY FIFTY’s agency Attrakt and CEO Jeon Hong-joon filed a complaint against CP Han Jae-shin and PD Cho Sang-yeon of SBS’s current affairs and culture program “Unanswered Questions”.
On the 18th, Attrakt’s legal representative Kim stated, “The defendants produced broadcast content based on biased opinions without checking the facts”, adding “Based on the false information they stated, we’ve sued them for defaming our agency and CEO Jeon Hong-joon.”
“Unanswered Question” aired the episode “Billboards and Girl Groups – Who Broke The Wings” featuring FIFTY FIFTY on August 19th, 2023, 10 days before the result of the lawsuit for exclusive contract termination filed by three former members of FIFTY FIFTY was announced.
Back then, many viewers criticized the program, pointing out that the content showed a biased attitude on only one side. As a result, the Korea Broadcasting Standards Committee received 1146 complaints about the broadcast, making it the program that was complained about the most. At a meeting on March 5th, the committee said, “It is true that the broadcast deceived viewers and caused great social confusion”, and agreed to issue a legal ‘warning’ on “Unanswered Question”.
On the 18th, lawyer Lee argued that “Unanswered Question” violated Articles 11 and 14 of the Broadcasting Review Regulations. Article 11 states, “Broadcasting should be careful not to infringe upon the right of fair trial of the parties when dealing with ongoing trials”, and Article 14 says, “Broadcasting must deal with facts accurately and objectively, and must not confuse viewers by stating unclear content as if it were true”.
CEO Jeon Hong-joon also said, “Although the tampering incident caused our company to face a survival crisis. We were able to overcome it thanks to the trust and support of everyone. We believe that such biased broadcasts that tarnish the image of the entire K-pop industry and cause confusion to viewers should no longer be produced”.
He added, “We have not received any sincere apology from the defendants so far. Therefore, we decided to file a lawsuit. Although it may be difficult to protect not only the honor of our company but also justice in K-pop as a whole, we still want to fight until the end”.
