Singer and musical actress Ock Joo Hyun has admitted to and apologized for controversy surrounding her agency’s failure to properly register as an entertainment management company.
On September 8, TOI Entertainment, the agency founded by Ock Joo Hyun, released an official statement saying, “We sincerely apologize for causing concern to many people due to recent reports.”
The agency continued, “It is undeniably our fault that we failed to complete the registration for the pop culture arts planning business on time. However, we never intended to evade legal procedures or operate the company illegally. We had prepared for registration three years ago when the company was first established, even completing the required online training, but an omission occurred in the administrative process. We are currently confirming the cause and will immediately proceed with the supplementary procedures to complete registration.”
Addressing claims from earlier reports, Ock Joo Hyun added, “The description of us being ‘out of contact’ is not true. We were unable to respond quickly due to performance schedules, but we never avoided communication. Through this incident, we will manage administrative procedures more thoroughly and do our best not to lose the trust of the public.”
Earlier that morning, Sports Kyunghyang reported that TOI Entertainment had not been registered as an official pop culture arts planning business. The report also noted that Title Role, Ock Joo Hyun’s previous one-person agency, was also unregistered. Title Role had represented Ock Joo Hyun and fellow musical actress Lee Ji Hye, who was previously involved in casting controversy with Ock Joo Hyun, before both transferred to TOI Entertainment.
Under Korea’s Development of the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Act, entertainers operating as corporations or sole proprietors must register as a pop culture arts planning business. If Ock Joo Hyun failed to comply, she could face legal sanctions.
Following the controversy, Ock Joo Hyun and her agency have acknowledged the oversight and pledged to rectify it immediately.
Full official statement from TOI Entertainment/Title Role:
“Hello, this is TOI Entertainment/Title Role Co., Ltd.
We sincerely apologize for causing concern to many people due to recent reports.
It is undeniably our fault that we did not complete the registration for the pop culture arts planning business on time. However, we want to make it clear that we never intended to evade legal procedures or operate the company illegally.
When the company was first established three years ago, we prepared for registration and even completed the required online training, but an omission occurred in the administrative process. We are currently identifying the cause and will immediately carry out the supplementary procedures to complete registration.
Additionally, the description in some reports of us being ‘out of contact’ is not true. We were unable to respond quickly due to performance schedules, but we never avoided communication.
Through this incident, we will manage administrative procedures more thoroughly and do our utmost to ensure we do not lose the public’s trust.”
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