According to a report on the 22nd, the cast and crew of 'Taekwondo' have filed a fraud complaint against the outsourced production company Studio & Creative's CEO, Mr. Kim, and operations manager, Mr. Park, at the Seoul Yangcheon Police Station. The complaint involves a total of 49 individuals, including writers, staff, and cast members.
The plaintiffs claim that the production company entered into contracts despite lacking the financial capability to fulfill payment obligations. Notably, the contracts included a clause stating that the broadcasting company would assume responsibility for payments if the production company failed to do so, a clause reportedly not pre-approved by the broadcaster.
'Taekwondo' failed to pay the 100 million won prize to winner Kwon Young-in, as well as appearance fees to all cast members, including host Jang Sung-kyu. The staff also went unpaid for approximately seven months. The production company delayed payments citing settlement procedures, and the payment assurance document was not honored.
The plaintiffs also highlight that the production company was preparing for a subsequent season without resolving the payment issues.
'Taekwondo' was produced with Studio & Creative directly contracting with the cast, while MBN had a programming contract with the production company. Structurally, the responsibility for cast contracts and prize payments lies with the outsourced production company. However, since the broadcast concluded without issues and advertisements were aired, there are calls for broadcaster MBN to also address the situation.
Meanwhile, MBN has requested the production company to submit financial execution details and is conducting its own investigation.
Reporter Dayeon Jung, TenAsia light@tenasia.co.kr