The bill asks for minor working hours and more severe regulations to guarantee educational rights for teenagers.
THE Korea Music Content Association (Miles) has issued a declaration categorically opposed to the legal amendments that would reduce the legal limit of maximum working hours for minor entertainers.
In September last year, a member of the National Assembly Kim Jun Hyuk From the Democratic Party of Korea, he proposed an amendment to the law for the development of the industries of culture and popular arts. The amendment proposed to reduce the highest working hours for minor entertainers, including teenage k-pop, trainees and childish actors. The bill essentially requires that the same standards are applied to adolescent entertainers outlined in the law on labor standards. It also suggests the application of different times limits according to the corresponding age groups.
The current South Korean law allows teenagers in the entertainment sector that are 15 years old and in addition to working up to 46 hours per week. However, the labor law limits the working hours of minors in the same age group at 40 hours a week.
On February 13, KST, the Konte, issued an official declaration that opposes this bill, claiming that the content interpreted the music industry negatively without understanding how work and proposed radical changes without relevant discussions with the interested parties.
Here are some of the key points raised by the association in its declaration:
1
The Association has argued that the limitation of working hours based on the age groups will create disharmony in the programs of mixed age groups in which the availability of each member will differ a lot. As a result, the transmission stations and production companies will inevitably avoid presenting these artists. Furthermore, during periods of critical activity, such as versions of albums, concerts, shows abroad, etc., these restrictions will be “weaken the global competitiveness of the popular culture industry of Korea. “
The Association even argued that the regulation has essentially violated the principle of equity in the application for the law “Unjustly discriminates against young people who fight with their studies late at night and youth artists who aspire to grow in global cultural figures without legitimate justification .. “
2. Reconsideration of the regulation to “protect the rights and educational opportunities of young artists”
Although the association has declared that the industry agrees with the insurance of the educational rights of entertainers for teenagers, it already has self -regulation and guidelines established to protect them.
For example, we have already opened the way to improve the rights of young artists, such as limiting their participation in regular educational programs or requesting the artist’s prior consent and their legal guardian for night activities. In addition, the industry strictly adheres to the current law that limits the hours of service of artists under the age of 15.
– Konte
The kmcha also argued that the definition of “educational rights” had to be expanded to satisfy the current state of the K-pop sector. Instead of limiting the concept to complete only a formal curriculum, it should also take into account the dance, vowel, composition and foreign linguistic education that trainees are provided by expert educators.
Each young man has the freedom to develop the skills necessary for their future aspirations. For young people who dream of becoming K-Pop artists, forcing them to follow a standardized curriculum violets on this diversity.
– Konte
3
The declaration ended with the Konte that urged the National Assembly to review the current bill with policies that are better aligned with the realities and opinions of the interested parties in the sector.
K-Pop artists are improving the value of the national brand by performing globally … hurrying down the regulations without a sufficient discussion with the industry will weaken the global K-pop competitiveness.
– Konte
You can read more about the “Development act of the Culture and Popular Arts sector” here:
New bill to protect minor K-Pop idols approved by the Ministry of Culture
