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According to the industry on the 2nd, the FTC recently conducted an on-site survey of major entertainment agencies such as SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment.
The Fair Trade Commission is said to be looking into whether they unfairly sold idol goods and albums, including photo cards, in bundles.
Photocards are items that are included when you buy an album and are mainly composed of photos and autographs of idol groups. Entertainment agencies often randomly sell photo cards for each member in their idol albums, which is why many fans purchase several of the same albums to get the photo card they want.
Usually, the price of an idol album ranges from 15,000 won to 40,000 won. As a result, idol fans often purchase more than dozens of albums to get the desired pocha.
It can be an unfair trade act under the Fair Trade Act if different products are unfairly sold while selling them. In light of normal trading practices, whether it is unfair or restricted from competition is considered to determine whether it is illegal.
An FTC official said, "We cannot comment on whether or not to investigate the specific case."
AlphaBIZ 김지선(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
