S. Korea to enhance rights of entertainers following actress suicide

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, July 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will move to enhance the rights of
entertainers by limiting the duration of unilateral management contracts
following the social uproar over the suicide of a popular TV star, the country's
fair trade watchdog said Tuesday.
The issue of unilateral contracts received considerable public attention
following the death of Jang Ja-yeon in March. A suicide letter allegedly written
by the actress, who played a supporting role in the hit TV drama "Boys Over
Flowers," accuses her former manager of forcing her to attend drinking parties
and to provide sexual favors to influential producers and executives of
entertainment companies.
Police have recently arrested the manager on suspicion of physical assault and
threatening Jang.
The accusations against him are not an isolated incident, as a recent poll
conducted on 2,000 entertainers showed 19 percent of respondents saying they have
personally been propositioned for sex or knew an associate who received such an
offer.
The survey, conducted by the Korea entertainers union, showed that 62 percent of
respondents claimed they were hurt professionally by turning down such a request,
with some being threatened and physically abused.
The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said it has established a new standard contract
to better protect entertainers and limit the power of talent agencies who have
been accused of forcing aspiring singers, actors and actresses to sign de facto
slave contracts.
The changes, established after receiving requests from umbrella groups
representing both actors and singers, ban contracts exceeding seven years, which
have been cited for limiting the ability of entertainers to switch management
agencies. Most existing contracts exceed 10 years, with heavy penalties being
imposed for entertainers that decide to quit before the expiration date.
Long contracts have also been the source of numerous disputes between
entertainers and talent agencies.
Under the revised rules, an entertainer can automatically end a contract after
seven years even if there is no clause on duration. He or she can extend the
agreement if there is mutual consent.
Other revisions will remove clauses that compel entertainers to notify agencies
of their whereabouts throughout the day, which infringes on personal privacy.
"In the future, an entertainer does not need to follow rules that limit their
private lives and can take legal action to end an unfair contract," an FTC
official said.
He added that the new rules make it compulsory for talent agencies to get written
consent from entertainers if they want to trade an actor or an actress.
Entertainers can, in addition, engage in various economic activities as long as
such measures do not affect their main careers.
The FTC, meanwhile, said that the new standard contracts and related rules will
be sent to talent agencies and managers, with the regulator to take measures to
ferret out non-compliance and violations.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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