​JYP Entertainment to take legal actions against fake Chinese affiliate

By Park Sae-jin Posted : April 26, 2019, 15:06 Updated : April 26, 2019, 15:06

This image shows K-pop band TWICE, the iconic band of JYP Entertainment. [Photograph by Yoo Dae-gil = dbeorlf123@ajunews.com]

SEOUL -- JYP Entertainment, the management agency of K-pop girl bands TWICE and ITZY, will take legal action against a Chinese firm for disguising itself as an affiliated agency to snatch money for training K-pop artist wannabes.

JYP has received complaints from Chinese fans that a company claimed to be a partner agency of the South Korean entertainment powerhouse and recruited trainees for money.

JYP said in a statement uploaded onto Weibo, the Chinese counterpart of Twitter, on Friday that it has neither required money from trainees nor organized any events such as summer camps or short-term commissioned training sessions.

The agency also stressed that it has released notifications through verified social media channels, asking fans not to get caught up in fraud. For a legal suit, JYP said it was collecting evidence, accusing the Chinese firm of hurting its image with malicious action.

As K-pop's global popularity soars, fans have become a constant target of swindlers. A 49-year-old South Korean broker was arrested in 2018 for taking money from five people who wanted to become K-pop and K-drama trainees.
The most common case of K-pop related fraud is ticket scams. In November 2018, a woman was given a 10-month prison sentence for selling about 11.1 million won ($9,565) worth of fake concert tickets online.

 
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