JYJ Blackballed?

Television remains the prime PR outlet for K-pop acts, but the group has rarely appeared on the air, which is why most of its money-making activities have taken place abroad.

The general feeling among local fans and media is that SME has successfully blackballed the group among the country’s broadcasters. In July, South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission issued a sanction against SM Entertainment and the Korean Federation of Pop Culture and Art Industry for “interfering with JYJ’s promotional activities.”

Though the matter seemed settled, K-pop fansite KpopStarz reports that nothing seems to have changed.

Some news media have directed questions toward the three big TV networks about the FTC ruling and have been met with vague answers. Representatives of all three, requesting anonymity, claim that JYJ has shown no interest in appearing on their programs.

KBS said it always receives requests from fans for the group to appear whenever JYJ releases a song or album, but the group itself doesn’t make an offer.

An SBS representative told one news outlet, “Can JYJ appear appear on public broadcasts now? We’ll look into the matter.”

MBC has essentially blamed the group’s current management for not being aggressive enough.

The matter has furthered inflamed local K-pop fans who believe mainstream broadcasters are more beholden to the music industry than they are to the public.