South Korean television channel MBC has been slapped with gaepjil (갑질)(abuse of power) allegations.
This comes after fans accused the network for purposely not including K-pop groups TXT and GFriend in the lineup for “Gayo Daejejeon 2019” (2019 가요대제전). Rumour has it that MBC had reportedly “taken revenge” towards BTS who had to skip the year-end show.
The 7-member boy band was scheduled to attend the “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”, which happens to be on the same day with the event. A lot fans have claim that MBC was not happy about BTS declining to take part in their event.
As a result, the network had apparently decided to “punish” any artistes associated with the “Fake Love” hit makers by blocking them from attending their show. This has in turn sparked anger among K-fans as well as fellow insiders in the industry.
Rookie group TXT debuted in March 2019 under the same roof with BTS’ label Big Hit Entertainment. On the other hand, GFriend is under Source Music company, a subsidiary of the renowned entertainment agency.
In response, MBC has came forward to shut down all the rumours. “It is definitely not true that the reason why TXT and GFRIEND are not appearing in this year’s MBC Music Festival is due to BTS’s absence from the show,” an insider from the company clarified.
“The casting decisions are made by the producer in charge. We truly understand that their absence is due to their pre-arranged schedule overseas,” the source further added. Some also brought up the fact that the “Crown” singers no-show at the recent “2020 Idol Star Athletics Championships” might also be the cause. A MBC official later explained that, “the producers of the two shows are different, so that is completely unrelated.”
MBC “Gayo Daejejeon 2019” will be held on 31st December 2019 (Tuesday). Check out the full list of the star-studded lineup here:
