Klook.com

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Lee Sooman registers 'A20 Entertainment' trademark ... What about his 'non-compete' clause with HYBE?

by Journalist Jeon Dahyun

According to Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service, Blooming Grace (led by former CEO Lee Sooman) applied for the trademark 'A20 Entertainment' on May 3rd. 

Blooming Grace registered this trademark under various product classifications such as entertainment business, video gaming devices, advertising, real estate, downloadable media, advisory services for animal care, clothing, transportation and design services, food and beverage provision services, medical services, and legal services. 

This trademark has been registered as a 'domestic trademark.' Last year, Lee Sooman promised not to engage in the domestic entertainment business for 3 years after signing contracts with HYBE and SM. However, Blooming Grace's objectives are registered as research and studies on management, economics, capital markets, real estate trading and leasing, not entertainment business. 

Lee Sooman previously parted ways with SM Ent. in March last year, then he established Blooming Grace and embarked on ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) project activities. Lee Sooman's decision to not establish a new domestic entertainment company and focus on ESG activities abroad is because of the 'non-compete' clause they signed with HYBE. This clause prohibits Lee Sooman from employing SM Ent. employees or signing contracts with SM Ent. artists for the next three years. This might be why Lee Sooman has shifted his focus overseas. He was reported to hold auditions in China last July. 

theqoo

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋ It's probably because he actually didn't want to leave SM Ent. He's someone who has only been in the entertainment busniness, so I'm not really surprised. 

-This grandpa is really amazingㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-He's really amazing. It's surprising that he still wants to do something at his ageㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-It would be hilarious if he partners with Min Heejin and does something.

-Until how much longer does he want to keep starting businesses?

-Honestly, I'm looking forward to it...

-His passion makes me want to re-evaluate my life... 

-He's full of energy.

-This grandpa is amazing in many ways.

-Wow, I thought he would take it easy because of his age and health.

-I'm jealous for the fact that he still works until his 70s...

-He can spend those three years training some trainees. When the clause expires, he can sign him with his entertainment company and debut them.

-It's probably not just for money, right? He just doesn't want to rest?

-Grandpa, I'll be looking forward to it!ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-It's really impressive that he still wants to do something at 70 while all his friends retire and play gold. There's a lot to learn from his overflowing enthusiasm and creativityㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Why does he keep working?

-Wow, even with plenty of money, it seems like he's built for the entertainment industry.

Continue reading Lee Sooman registers 'A20 Entertainment' trademark ... What about his 'non-compete' clause with HYBE?

Prosecutors Charge a Former Entertainment Company CEO and 10 Others for 'Sajaegi'

by Journalist Lee Jangho

Former entertainment company CEO, A, and 10 others have been charged for Sajaegi, accused of repeatedly streaming 15 songs 1.72 M times on major music streaming sites by using bulk-purchased IP addresses. 

On the 21st, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office announced that from December 2018 to December 2019, CEO A and 10 others used over 500 virtual PCs, bulk-purchased IP addresses, and 1,627 personal information that were illegally obtained to manipulate rankings on music streaming sites by repeatedly playing 15 songs 1,727,985 times. They were charged with obstruction of business by damaging a computer system on the 20th. 

The prosecution believes that A and the others recruited clients for Sajaegi through brokers. They committed the crime by assigning each IP address to various virtual PCs. The prosecution stated, "Through the investigation, we have confirmed in detail that the suspicions of Sajaegi in the music market were true."

theqoo

-Was it something that could be caught?

-From December 2018 to around December 2019. If it is a 'former' CEO, it means that the company changed its CEO after December 2019. If we dig hard enough, we might find out who it is. 

-Finally, let's dig into this.

-Someone should file a report against HYBE too.

-Didn't Park Kyung call this out but he got in trouble for it?? That means this was something they could investigate, but they just chose not to.

-Could HYBE have been involved too?

-Please reveal everything🙏 K-pop will collapse if these manipulators continue their act.

-Just dig everything up, I'm curious as hellㅋㅋㅋ

-Repeatedly streaming 15 songs 1.72 M times on a music streaming site... What are those 15 songs? Let's find out!!

-I looked at my Melon account and saw some songs downloaded onto my phone, even though I never downloaded them. I was so shocked and deleted them. Nobody knows my password and I've never logged in to this account on any other device. 

-If it was easy to do, why not investigate the current chart?? The result will be interesting...

-Don't stir up controversy and just reveal those songs

-Reveal who it is.

-Please investigate this properly. Don't do this just for show.

-They should investigate up to the present, not just until December 2019! Why are they only investigating that specific year anyway?

-Park Kyung spoke up about this before, but he got fined for spreading false information, didn't he?

-The important thing is... Why isn't HYBE being caught?? I feel like they're only chasing after others and leaving out HYBE on purpose.

Continue reading Prosecutors Charge a Former Entertainment Company CEO and 10 Others for 'Sajaegi'
,

Comparison of 'Lovely Runner' to 'Someday or One Day'

Ever since the drama aired, there have been a lot of comments talking about its similarities to 'Someday or One Day'. If you search on Naver or Twitter, people who have watched both dramas mention how similar they are.

SOOD: The female lead works at a record shop run by her uncle
LR: The female lead works at a DVD rent run by her mom

SOOD: While working at the record shop, the female lead closes her eyes and hums, and the male lead and male sub-lead quietly enter the shop
LR: While working at the DVD rent, the female lead dozes off with her eyes closed and the male lead quietly enters the store (The scene overall is quite similar)

SOOD: The drama is set about 20 years in the past, and it featured songs that were popular in Taiwan at that time
LR: The drama is set about 15 years in the past, it also featured the culture and songs that were popular in South Korea at that time. Especially by using Kim Hyungjoong's 'Maybe'. (In the original Webtoon, the story is set about 6 years in the past)

SOOD: The female lead struggles with the male lead's death, travels to the past
LR: Same

SOOD: The female lead tries to prevent herself from being murdered
LR: Same. (In the original Webtoon, there's no murderer)

SOOD: The male sub-lead exists to protect the female lead from being murdered
LR: Same (In the original Webtoon, there's no male sub-lead)

SOOD: The male lead gets seriously injured or dies
LR: Same

SOOD: The male lead secretly waits 21 years for the female lead to return to their original timeline.
LR: Same, but 15 years

SOOD: The female lead cries whenever she sees the male lead as she time travels, there's a line where the male lead asks 'Why do you cry whenever you see me?"
LR: Same, also with the same line. 

SOOD: There's an 'umbrella scene', where the male lead falls for the female lead. Later, he paints this scene and features it in an exhibition. Even in the movie version, he remembers this scene even after losing all his memories.
LR: There are a lot of 'umbrella scene's and even their first encounter involves one, where the male lead falls for the female lead. 

SOOD: After the incident, the older version of the male and female lead who knows everything about their past, meet. However, their happiness is short-lived, prompting the female lead to time travel again.
LR: Same

SOOD: The male lead was mischievous when he was young, but matured as he waits a long time for the female lead.
LR: Same

SOOD: They barely manage to meet in the future, both aware of the past events, but the female lead is threatened again, and the male lead dies while chasing the culprit.
LR: The male lead also dies, the murderer holds a grudge against him because something that happened in the past and go find the male lead. tokill him.

SOOD: The culprit is a psychopath.
LR: Same (In the original Webtoon, there's no murderer)

SOOD: The male lead initially doesn’t believe the female lead is from the future but eventually does and tries to save her from death.
LR: Same

SOOD: They realize the truth about time travel at the airport.
LR: (Not exactly the same, but similar) They realize the truth about time travel at the airport.

SOOD: The male sub-led notices the differences between the original female lead and the time-traveling version of the female lead, believes in her time travel experience earlier than the male lead.
LR: Same

SOOD: The female lead takes over a person in the past who looks exactly like her.
LR: The female lead returns to her own body in the past, but her personality and behaviors are different. Later in the storyline, the original version of the female lead pushes the male lead away.

SOOD: The male lead decides to attend the same university as the female lead.
LR: Same

SOOD: The female lead begins time-traveling with a cassette tape given by the male lead.
LR: The female lead begins time-traveling with a watch given by the male lead.

SOOD: The cassette tape, as a medium, gets damaged. The female lead, crying and desperate to save the male lead, finds a way to fix it.
LR: The watch, as a medium, gets lost. The female lead, crying and desperate to save the male lead, finds a way to retrieve it.

SOOD: The female lead’s parents are divorced, and she lives with her mother and younger brother. Her mother is very strong and capable.
LR: The female lead’s father died in an accident when she was young, and she lives with her grandmother and older brother. Her mother is very strong and capable (there is no brother in the original Webtoon).

SOOD:
-Drama version: To break the time loop, they destroy the medium and erase their meeting. All memories are lost.
-Continuation from the drama in the movie version: Although they lost their story in the drama, they fatefully meet again in the movie and are drawn to each other.
-Movie version: They keep sacrificing their lives to save each other, continuing the loop. However, as they can’t find a loop where they both survive, they reset everything to the beginning and make themselves forget each other.

LR: As of episode 13, despite the female lead erasing the story to prevent the male lead’s death that never changes, the male lead is still drawn to the female lead.

Here are the similarities so far...
I hope the male lead in 'Lovely Runner' doesn't time travel. Also, the childhood subplot hasn't been revealed yet, but in 'Someday or One Day', there's also a subplot about the male and female lead meeting in their childhood. 

From the beginning, there have been comments saying things like 'Lovely Runner is the Korean version of Someday or One Day,' 'Lovely Runner is more like Someday or One Day than the actual Korean remake of Someday or One Day,' and more. Are these settings just really common in time travel stories...? If an average viewer finds them similar, I think the writers of SOOD would also find them similar. It feels like all these little things add up to make the overall atmosphere very similar. But as someone who enjoys both shows, it’s a bit unsettling when they become too similar...

+ I have no intention of mocking or criticizing anyone...


-I really enjoyed watching SOOD, but what about it is similar to Lovely Runner...?ㅋㅋㅋ Is it just because both dramas are about time travelling?? 

-I have to admit that I thought of SOOD while watching Lovely Runner

-There are some scenes in Lovely Runner that remind me of SOOD, but I personally think those scenes are very common in dramas with same genre, so it could be coincidental.

-I think Lovely Runner's writers might have used SOOD as their references while adapting the Webtoon to the drama. I don't know about plagiarism, but Lovely Runner does remind me of SOOD.

-What are you talking about? I've watched both dramas and they're completely different.

-These two dramas are completely different. Are you sure you watched the same drama we're talking about here?

-Wow... It's quite similar. 

-You can't fix stupidity.

-There’s context and background to each situation... If you generalize everything as the same, is there any drama that isn’t similar?

-In SOOD, the female lead enters the body of a different girl who looks exactly like her in the past.

-I really love dramas about time travel, so I've watched both. In SOOD, the female lead doesn't go back to her own body in the past. She possesses someone who looks like her. This causes inner conflicts since the personality of the person she possesses still remains inside that body. Also, the way the male sub-lead and psychopath are portrayed is different. In SOOD, the psychopath's actions are not connected to the female lead's past. 

-..?

-Stop being so ridiculous.

-I love SOOD, but this is nonsense.
Continue reading Comparison of 'Lovely Runner' to 'Someday or One Day'

Is HYBE working on a 'reverse viral' campaign? ... ILLIT's official account follows an account that criticize New Jeans

 
by Journalist Lee Sunmyung

As the conflict between HYBE and Min Heejin intensifies, HYBE sparks criticism as they are suspected of doing a 'reverse viral' (the act of intentionally making negative publicity) campaign. 

The suspicions arose after ILLIT's official Twitter account, operated by BELIFT Lab, followed a Twitter account that had consistently posted negative comments about New Jeans. Previously, ILLIT's official Twitter account only followed HYBE's official accounts and accounts related to ILLIT. This account is known to be managed not only by BELIFT Lab, but also ILLIT's members. 

Fans have expressed their dissatisfaction with this situation. In response, ILLIT's official account unfollowed that fan account. This whole incident has increased suspicions of HYBE's 'reverse viral' campaign, especially as negative posts about New Jeans are currently being widely posted across the internet. 

This is not HYBE's first time being suspected of doing 'reverse viral' campaign. In December 2019, negative comments appeared on EXO-related articles. Typically, comments on EXO-related articles were from women in their teens and 20s, but the negative comments mostly came from women in their 30s and 40s. 

theqoo

-HYBE is so disgracefulㅋㅋㅋ

-Normally, they would quickly explain it away as hacking. But surprisingly they're silent this timeㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Really disgraceful...

-Their actions are getting worse...

-HYBE not saying anything about this controversy must mean it’s true.

-Could they sink any lower? Disgraceful.

-This coming from HYBE... I'm not even surprised

-They've probably done more than just one or two 'reverse viral' campaigns.

-Why are they like this?

-Do you think this is the first time they've done 'reverse viral' campaign?? They've probably been doing this consistently.

-Wow, this is unbelievable...

-So pathetic.

-What are they thinking?

-It's 100% a part of their 'reverse viral' campaign
Continue reading Is HYBE working on a 'reverse viral' campaign? ... ILLIT's official account follows an account that criticize New Jeans
,

Mexico Jeans and New Jeans' Attention

This is the choreography of that Mexican 'Jeans' group. As you can see, it's nothing like Attention choreography. 


This is Attention. 


Even those (who accuse New Jeans of plagiarism) know that it's nothing alike, that's why they crop off the other two members on the side and put the clip on slow-motion before comparing it to Attentionㅋㅋㅋ

-Seriously, it's so ridiculous, I can't help but laugh.

-It's ridiculous... It looks nothing alike.

-No, seriouslyㅋㅋㅋㅋ Are they joking?

-Those who say this looks alike need to get their eyes checked.

-They seriously have some issues with their intelligence.

-Instead of doing this, they should just workㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-They seem so stupid, it's not even worth my time to argue with them.

-What's funny is that they don't even fact-check and just believe that nonsenseㅋㅋㅋㅋ Are they just believing in what they want to believe?

-Instead of going all the way to Mexico, they should have brought up an old Korean singer who used to wear cheongsam and had a hairstyle like Danielle'sㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-How much lower can they get?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-That's very cheap of them. There isn't even a similar movement between those two.

-Did those Mexican Jeans Unnie ever think their videos and style would become such a hot topic in a far-away country?ㅋㅋㅋ 
Continue reading Mexico Jeans and New Jeans' Attention

An international site mistranslated Min Heejin-related post that trended on Theqoo

 

Min Heejin fires back with statement, "Was those who visited tenpro and other room salons also investigated?"

(NB: Tenpro is a class of entertainment establishments in South Korea, often referred to as 'premium room salons'.)


(NB: The 감사 here means inspect, not grateful or thank you)

'Thank you' What a nonsenseㅠㅠㅠ

-'Thank you'ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-No, that's not what it meansㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-'10%'ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-If you're not going to translate properly, go away... Seriously, unbelievableㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-I'm going crazy...

-Were they just running it through a translator?

-No wayㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-What kind of translator are they using?

-Sigh... But do they really believe those ridiculous translations or not?

-Holy crapㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-This is a mess.

-That "감사/Gamsa" is not "thank you"...

-Thank you for the 10%!!

-Do they understand what 10% means if they write it like that?ㅋㅋㅋ

-You're welcome, I guess?

-International Kpop fans, listen up. I know you are going to translate and read this comment too. (NB: They write it in Englsih) This 감사 is not the meaning of "Thank" It's "Inspect" Int'l k-pop fans mistook Min Hee-jin's press conference until non-Korean New Jeans fans translated the press conference, and they slammed Min Hee-jin and New Jeans to death, that was not nice. and your translator didn't properly translate this time, AGAIN.
Continue reading An international site mistranslated Min Heejin-related post that trended on Theqoo
trazy.com