That ‘JYJ Law’ actually passed, but plenty of reason to remain skeptical

Oh hey, remember that ‘JYJ Law‘ that assemblywoman Choi Min Hee was trying to pass a while back? Well, while it failed to pass once six months ago, it has indeed passed through the National Assembly recently.

The law itself hypothetically prevents third parties like broadcasting companies from blacklisting individuals or groups from television, which has long been a problem of JYJ and other artists who have left companies with a lot of clout.

Specifically, the amendment prohibits broadcasting companies from preventing appearances of an individual or group on a show due to a third party’s request that is unrelated to the production of a show, or due to a request that comes from a third party even after a certain individual or group has been legally cleared to appear on a show. If a broadcasting company violates this policy, the Korea Communications Commission can issue a corrective order or charge a fine of up to two percent of the company’s sales.

Understandably, the assemblywoman (who put in work and wasn’t just grandstanding after all) and C-JeS Entertainment were pleased with the decision.

Assemblywoman Choi Min Hee, who was at the head of this proposal, said, “With this law, the rights of artists like JYJ whose television appearances have been interfered with as well as the rights of the fans who want to see these artists on television are guaranteed.” JYJ’s agency C-JeS said, “We’ve fought with the unfair conditions for seven years, and we’re thankful that we weren’t alone in opposing it. We hope that with this amendment, these unjust actions will no longer occur in the entertainment industry.”

But as I said at the time this was announced, the problem remains that even with the bill now passed, I don’t see how this is going to be enforceable without direct evidence (e-mails, recordings, witnesses) that there’s collusion involved.

One entertainment agency director said, “I don’t expect this amendment to immediately pave the way for JYJ to appear on music programs. However, because it is a law put forth to protect the rights of celebrities, I believe the producers will remain within the boundaries of the law and try to maintain equity to avoid controversy.”

I don’t think my pessimism towards what this law means for JYJ appearing on television again is raining on the parade of any realistic JYJ fans either. I figure they’ve been through enough false hope throughout the years to know better by now, and to basically be in eternal “I’ll believe it when I see it” mode. Or at least that’s the mode they should be in, because the law does sound a lot like something that’s a nice sentiment but ultimately changes nothing.