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| SM Entertainment launched the website "KWANGYA 119" on Wednesday to better protect its artists. Captured from SM Entertainment's website |
Users can file tickets on issue ranging from defamation to copyright infringement
By Hong Hye-min
A new website was launched by SM Entertainment on Wednesday in a bid to provide greater protection for the rights and interests of the company's artists.
The creation of KWANGYA 119 is an extension of the firm's SM 3.0 growth strategy that emphasizes better safeguards for artists under its employment.
The main page of the KWANGYA 119 website is divided into sections where users can file reports for defamation, ticket scalping and copyright infringement that concerns SM artists or make suggestions and other service inquiries. The submitted tickets are shown on the website with a time stamp for easy viewing.
In the section dedicated to defamation, users can even report sightings of false information and fake news. To submit a ticket, users need to enter a subject, a brief title and a post that includes links, IP addresses, images and other attachments related to the case being reported.
Due to the growing issue of misinformation, malicious online comments and the invasion of privacy being faced by modern artists, SM Entertainment plans to take firm legal action if necessary after reviewing the reports submitted on its new website, having signed a contract with law firm Shin & Kim LLC in March to facilitate this process.
The company is also working to prevent illegal ticket transactions and strengthen copyright protection, with the goal of establishing a fair and transparent fan community in mind. SM Entertainment is cooperating with concert organizers and ticketing agencies to crack down on scalpers, and a section dedicated to these issues on KWANGYA 119 will be open once preparations are complete.
The section on copyright infringement reports will also allow users to report any unauthorized distribution of music, videos and other content by SM artists that are under copyright protection.
The suggestions board allows fans to report any errors and issues pertaining to the albums, merchandise, images and videos of SM artists. They can also share any ideas and other suggestions they may have for the artists and the company as a whole.
Moving forward, SM Entertainment hopes to rely on KWANGYA 119 not only to protect the rights of its artists, but also to enhance the company's outreach and communication with fan communities.
Hong Hye-min (hhm@hankookilbo.com) is a reporter at The Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times. This article, previously published in The Hankook Ilbo, has been translated as part of a news-sharing program.
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