Controversy Surrounds 'The Great Show: Taekwondo' Over Unpaid Fees and Prize Money

Seven months after its finale, the show 'The Great Show: Taekwondo' is embroiled in controversy over unpaid appearance fees and prize money, with broadcaster Jang Sung-kyu reportedly among those affected.

On the 6th, Jang Sung-kyu shared an article on his Instagram, expressing his disappointment over the unpaid fees but also hope, as the broadcasting station is taking the matter seriously.

The article detailed that MBN's audition show 'The Great Show: Taekwondo' failed to pay appearance fees to all participants, and the winner, Kwon Young-in, has not received the 100 million won prize. MBN is reportedly taking this issue seriously.

Jang Sung-kyu expressed his wish for all participants to receive their promised fees, and for the winner, Kwon Young-in, to receive his prize money. He added, "I hope it remains a 'Great Show' as its name suggests, not a 'runaway show.'"

According to a report on the 5th, the contract for 'The Great Show: Taekwondo' stipulated that appearance fees for each of the eight episodes should be paid by the 15th of the following month after airing. However, multiple agencies of the participants stated that only the fee for the first episode was paid after the show ended in August last year, with the rest remaining unsettled.

'The Great Show: Taekwondo' was produced by an external production company, Studio & Creative, which directly contracted with the participants, while MBN had a programming contract with the production company. Structurally, the obligation to pay the participants and prize money lies with the production company. However, since the show aired without issues and advertisements were run, there are calls for MBN to take responsibility for resolving the situation.

Meanwhile, Jang Sung-kyu joined JTBC in 2012. He appeared on the MBC announcer recruitment show 'New Employee' and made it to the final five but was not hired. An MBC official who was present at the time moved to JTBC and recruited Jang Sung-kyu, allowing him to fulfill his dream of becoming an announcer with JTBC's launch in 2011. He worked at JTBC for eight years before becoming a freelancer in 2019.

By Da-yeon Jeong, Ten Asia Reporter light@tenasia.co.kr