SNL Production Company Stumbles Over Biggest Beneficiary... Concerns Over Survival of the Fittest

AStory Files 7 Billion Won Damage Lawsuit Against Coupang
"PD in Charge Notified Resignation and Pressured Group Resignation"
vs "Left After Contract Period... No Problem"
Production Industry Reacts Saying It Violates Industry Ethics

A lawsuit has erupted over Coupang Play's flagship program 'SNL Korea.' The issue began when Coupang, which had been airing the show under a contract with the production company AStory, established a subsidiary called CP Entertainment in September last year. They signed an exclusive contract with MC Shin Dong-yeop and recruited PD Ahn Sang-hwi as the head, taking direct charge of production. On the 25th, AStory announced that it had filed a damages lawsuit demanding 7 billion won. They claimed, "PD Ahn notified his resignation and urged the entire SNL Korea production team to collectively resign," and "he colluded with CP Entertainment behind the scenes to steal the entire SNL-related production division." It is known that twelve employees moved to the new company, about 20% of the total fifty-six staff members.

PD Ahn countered that there was no problem as he left after completing the contract period. He pointed out past unfair treatment, stating, "I raised several issues regarding habitual delays in appearance fees and production costs, but no improvements were made." He emphasized, "I will firmly respond, including legal remedies, against unfair demands, abuse of power, and extortion." AStory rebutted that it has never delayed appearance fees since its establishment. Furthermore, they argued, "PD Ahn's act of having the entire SNL production team resign and join Coupang is a clear breach of fiduciary duty," and "the damages claim is a legitimate procedure concerning the unfair seizure of the SNL production division's business segment." AStory also reported Coupang for violating the Fair Trade Act and plans to seek a ban on the filming and broadcasting of SNL Korea Season 5 in the future.

CP Entertainment was established on July 7 last year, around the time SNL Korea Season 4 ended. AStory had been producing the program since 2021. They secured the license after six months of negotiations with NBCUniversal in the United States. AStory explained, "NBCUniversal grants SNL copyrights on a per-season basis," adding, "AStory held the license rights for Seasons 1 and 2. Coupang requested domestic YouTube copyrights and other rights, so we transferred the license name from Season 3 onward, but they betrayed us." They continued, "We never imagined that PD Ahn would collude to steal SNL and the production staff." Coupang has already announced the appearance of Im Si-wan, signaling the production of SNL Season 5. PD Ahn said, "The production team, including myself, will prepare and present the show smoothly in a better production environment."

AStory is a production company that has delivered many globally successful works such as 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' and 'Kingdom.' They also successfully revived SNL Korea, which had been suspended by tvN in 2017, in a short period. However, the tower they built with great effort is now at risk of collapsing due to Coupang's financial power, the biggest beneficiary. The production industry mainly reacts by saying this goes against the code of ethics. They worry that such acts, where the strong trample the weak, could potentially collapse the entire industry.

Similar cases have recently occurred in various places. A representative example is the drama 'Jeongnyeon-i,' starring Kim Tae-ri, which MBC had been planning and developing for about a year. The director initially assigned, PD Jung Ji-in, resigned last year, and the show was reassigned to tvN, a CJ ENM broadcaster. There were suspicions that Studio Dragon, a CJ ENM subsidiary, violated ethical standards by forcefully pushing the reassignment. Although MBC did not file a lawsuit, it is reported that legal issues were negotiated.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.