The recent episode of SBS's investigative show "Unanswered Questions", which spotlighted the exclusive contract dispute between the K-pop group FIFTY FIFTY and their agency Attrakt, has come under fire for presenting a seemingly one-sided narrative in favor of the members. The backlash and calls for rectification are escalating.

On August 22, both the Korea Management Federation (KMF) and the Korea Entertainment Producers Association (KEPA) released statements successively, demanding corrections and apologies from the show.

The KMF criticized, "The broadcast lost its fairness and public interest," and added, "They reported on unconfirmed exposes, fostering distorted perceptions about an ongoing legal dispute." KEPA similarly called for an official apology from the show's production team and urged the Broadcasting Commission to impose sanctions.

In the episode of "Unanswered Questions" aired on August 19 titled "Billboard and the Girl Group: Who Broke the Wings?", the truth about the heated dispute surrounding FIFTY FIFTY's exclusive contract was addressed. However, criticisms emerged, claiming the episode failed to provide a balanced presentation of both sides' arguments.

Entertainment media outlet Dispatch pointed out several inconsistencies in the broadcast. For instance, the show presented claims from an insider stating that Attrakt's CEO, Jeon Hong-jun, never attended any monthly evaluations. However, Dispatch refuted this by unveiling a photo from December 2020 showing CEO Jeon participating in an evaluation. Further chats confirmed his frequent attendance, apart from a few intermediate checks.

A family member of one FIFTY FIFTY member claimed on the show that "All the side dishes parents sent were thrown out in the living room." However, a witness on-site clarified that it wasn't side dishes, but snacks, and they were thrown not by CEO Jeon but by Baek OO, an executive from DigiBus, a subcontractor previously pointed out as an external force trying to snatch the group members.

Dispatch delved deeper into the incident with Baek. Even though the members were supposed to be on a weight management regime, their weights didn't show significant change. An emergency check at their dorm revealed various snacks, leading Baek, out of frustration, to throw them. Yet, the broadcast did not specify who instigated this act.

Furthermore, while members were on a diet program with their consent, the show portrayed claims from family members that they weren't provided with proper meals.

The show also touched upon Attrakt's supposed omission of music and album profits in their financial statements. This was later revealed to be an oversight by DigiBus's accounting staff. CEO An Sung-il from DigiBus even apologized to CEO Jeon over this. Attrakt subsequently rectified the financial statement, and missing revenue details from the April statement were added to the May one.

Finally, although advances received from distributors aren't debts of FIFTY FIFTY, the show, without verification, only highlighted the claims of FIFTY FIFTY's lawyer. They stated that members wouldn't receive settlements until the advance was fully repaid. In reality, distributor advances aren't considered FIFTY FIFTY's debts, and settlements are confined to direct expenses incurred during group activities. However, FIFTY FIFTY persists in highlighting the advance issue.

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