Culture Ministry slaps 1.5 million won fine on 'I am Solo' production company

The Culture Ministry has imposed a fine of 1.5 million won ($1,100) on Chonjang Entertainment, the production company behind the hit matchmaking reality show "I Am Solo" (2021-), for violations of the Artist Welfare Act on Tuesday.

A promotional image of ″I Am Solo″ [SBS PLUS]

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has imposed a fine of 1.5 million won ($1,100) on Chonjang Entertainment, the production company behind the hit matchmaking reality show "I Am Solo" (2021-), for violations of the Artist Welfare Act on Tuesday.

The Culture Ministry's decision follows a report alleging violations of the Artist Welfare Act, which was filed in April.

The broadcasting writers' sub-union of the National Press Labor Union filed a complaint in April, alleging that Chonjang Entertainment had violated written contract obligations and infringed on the rights of writers. The union claimed that the company had abused its dominant position to impose unfair contracts on writers and had refused, delayed or denied profit-sharing.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Chonjang Entertainment's failure to enter into written contracts with freelance writers violated Article 4-4 — regarding contracts related to cultural arts services — of the Artist Welfare Act.

The Committee for the Protection of Artists' Rights concluded that "if a written contract had been drawn up, the rights of the writers could have been more clearly foreseen in advance, and the complainants could have exercised these rights." The committee added that "there is still a need for correction in that contracts are being concluded without specifying the contractual terms regarding the rights of artists, and therefore, it is necessary to recommend such correction."

Nam Gyu-hong, the producer of ″I Am Solo″ [CHONJANG ENTERTAINMENT]

Along with the imposition of the fine, the Culture Ministry urged the production company to create fair contracts with writers on an equal footing. The ministry instructed Chonjang Entertainment to draw up and provide writers with written contracts specifying the contract amount, the rights and obligations of the contracting parties and matters related to profit-sharing. The company was also asked to submit a plan to prevent a recurrence that includes details of its implementation.

"We will expand our investigative staff so that strict investigations and a swift redress of rights can be carried out in accordance with the Act on the Protection of Artists' Rights,” said Shin Eun-hyang, art policy director at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. “We will also develop and discuss legal and institutional improvement measures to shorten the processing time of reported cases and gather opinions from the field."

Nam Gyu-hong, the producer of "I Am Solo," has been requested to appear at the Culture Ministry's comprehensive audit on Thursday regarding the infringement of broadcast writers' copyrights.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]