New rules promulgated to protect budding stars

Talent agencies are banned from making contracts for more than seven years with budding entertainers, according to the "standard contract terms", unveiled yesterday by Korea's antitrust watchdog.

The Fair Trade Commission said it established standard terms to better protect entertainers from so-called "slave contracts" after it found many entertainers suffer unfair contracts with talent agencies.

After investigations late last year and earlier this year into contracts signed between major talent agencies and their clients, the agency said it discovered contract terms that excessively infringe on client privacy or are otherwise advantageous only to the agencies. For example, many of the investigated agencies required entertainers to report their locations at all times or to participate in the agencies' events for low or no pay.

Complaints about unfair contracts heightened after the actress Jang Ja-yeon killed herself in March, leaving notes that said she was maltreated by her former management agency. Police on Monday detained the head of the agency on suspicion of physically assaulting and threatening Jang.

The FTC said that contracts exceeding seven years have been cited as limiting the ability of entertainers to switch talent agencies. Most existing contracts exceeded 10 years.

By Moon So-young