JTBC's "Newsroom" Apologizes On-Air For Report About BTS And Big Hit Entertainment

On the December 16 broadcast of JTBC’s “Newsroom,” JTBC president Son Suk Hee issued a follow-up to their report earlier this month.

On December 9, JTBC’s “Newsroom” reported that BTS was considering taking legal action against their agency, Big Hit Entertainment, for issues related to profit division. On December 10, Big Hit Entertainment released an official statement refuting the issues claimed in the report and requested an apology from JTBC for violating journalistic code of conduct.

On the December 16 broadcast, Son Suk Hee stated, “Recently, ‘Newsroom’ released a report that said BTS is looking into taking legal action against their agency. After additional reporting, we have judged that the likelihood of a real legal dispute is almost zero.”

“Newsroom” stated through a video, “At the beginning of December, JTBC learned that a matter related to BTS had appeared in the internal network of a law firm in Gangnam, Seoul. This matter was in the form of a question as to whether there would be internal conflicts of interest if the law firm were to represent or give consultation to BTS about profit division with Big Hit Entertainment. Considering conflicts of interest are usually part of the procedure for launching a legal dispute. At the time, JTBC consulted several lawyers before reporting that there was a possibility of legal action.

“But after checking the statements from the parties involved, we have judged that the likelihood of legal action is very low. Big Hit has revealed that they do not have any conflicts with BTS and that they had an exemplary contract renewal last year. BTS has also stated that they did not request a lawsuit from the law firm in question. The law firm in question has stated that they cannot confirm detailed information about their internal network.”

Son Suk Hee concluded, “JTBC expresses regret at the fact that they filmed the agency’s office without permission from Big Hit during the reporting of this case. We also humbly and sincerely accept the criticism that our report was too ahead of itself in reporting on a situation where no legal action had been pursued.”

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