As rumors saying that the certain celebrities are associated with Shincheonji (a religious cult at the center of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) contagion in Daegu, Korea) have quickly spread online, several management agencies are taking tough stances against the rumors to protect their own artists on March 4.
Namoo Actors, the prominent agency for various actors, issued a statement that it received some reports connecting some of its artists to the religious organization. “We’ve found out all those rumors are false and we’re taking legal actions against those who create and spread the malicious and indiscreet posts to defend our artists’ honors. There are no settlement or favorable arrangement for the scaremongers,” said the company.
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Other two big agencies for actors and K-Pop groups, KeyEast and FNC Entertainment, also reacted to the rumors in the same way. “We have been constantly monitoring online to prevent further damages and fully trying to protect rights and interests of our artists,” They said through their own official statements as same as that of Namoo Actors.
On the same day, many actors and singers such as Lee Dong Wook, Ivy, Nam Gyu Ri and Tei denied the rumors that they were believers in Shincheonji through their agencies or personal SNS channels. The rumors surrounding them have been widespread around the online communities and SNSs since March 3.
