K-pop Idol CL And Actor Gang Dong-won Violate South Korea's Arts Industry Law, Face Probe Over Unregistered Agencies

South Korean artists have been sparking controversy recently. As per the reports, 2NE1 leader CL, actor Gang Dong-won, singer Song Ga-in, and Kim Wan-sun are under police investigation for operating illegal agencies.

Each case has been assigned to a different police station: CL and Dong-won to Yongsan, Song Ga-in to Seocho, and Wan-sun to Dongbu. Authorities state that the artists breached the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act by not registering their companies, meaning their businesses operated without the legal protections mandated by law.

According to Sports Kyunghyang, running agencies without proper registration allows celebrities to bypass rules meant to protect artists’ rights. The investigations began after Ock Joo-hyun’s unregistered agency came to light, and since then, several other artists, including Sung Si Kyung, have faced scrutiny.

As per reports, a spokesperson explained that “registration of a popular culture and arts planning business is not a simple reporting procedure, but a system of management, education, and supervision," adding that “long-term non-registration means that business has been conducted outside of those safety measures, and it is a serious problem that undermines the protection of new talent and youth, the trust of business partners, and market order."

The case also emphasised that if the agencies continued operating outside the law, it would signal that they could ignore legal rules, which would provoke a negative public reaction.

Sung Si Kyung recently apologised for the matter. More details are yet to be out.

Also Read: Nagarjuna's 'Path Breaking' Movie Shiva To Re-release In Theatres In November On This Date