SBS’s “Unanswered Questions” has spoken up about their coverage of FIFTY FIFTY’s dispute with their agency.
Back in June, FIFTY FIFTY filed to suspend their exclusive contracts with their agency ATTRAKT, citing violation of the obligation to faithfully provide settlement data and violation of the obligation to manage physical and mental health.
On August 19, SBS’s “Unanswered Questions” broadcast an episode dealing with FIFTY FIFTY and ATTRAKT’s dispute over exclusive contracts under the title of “Billboard and Girl Groups: Who broke their wings?” However, after the broadcast, the program was criticized for being biased toward the members as it did not address major issues such as the suspicion of trademark registration of the FIFTY FIFTY members and the controversy over falsification of academic credentials of Ahn Sung Il, the CEO of The Givers who was formerly in charge of producing FIFTY FIFTY’s music.
On August 24, the production team of “Unanswered Questions” released the following statement:
"The episode of “Unanswered Questions: Billboard and Girl Groups,” which aired on August 19, is a program created to think about what it takes to establish sustainable K-pop through the so-called “FIFTY FIFTY crisis.”
First of all, we deeply apologize for unintentionally hurting the hearts of many people working in the K-pop industry and fans who love K-pop during the broadcast as opposed to the production team’s intention. We will also listen heavily to the words and criticisms from organizations such as the Korea Management Federation and the Korea Entertainment Producers’ Association.
In addition, we would like to clarify that this program is not intended to take a certain party’s side among the stakeholders. Regarding some of the topics that are currently controversial, we will fill in the parts that fall short with follow-up broadcasts through additional investigations.
Thank you for showing interest in “Unanswered Questions,” and we will repay the support of the viewers with more in-depth investigation."
Source: Soompi