KBS N

The KBS Joy channel program ‘Ask Anything, Fortune-teller’, featuring former professional basketball player-turned-broadcaster Seo Jang-hoon and comedian Lee Soo-geun, is under police investigation on suspicion of having used a drama OST without authorization for several years.

In this regard, broadcaster KBS N stated on the 12th, "‘Ask Anything, Fortune-teller’ is an outsourced production, and we became aware of the dispute through the production company Mystic Story".

It added, "Specific responses to this matter are being handled by Mystic Story," and, "KBS N continues to receive ongoing updates through Mystic Story".

KBS N said, "As this matter is under police investigation, it is difficult to offer further comment," adding, "If there are future requests from relevant agencies, we will faithfully cooperate with the investigation".

It has been confirmed that the Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi recently booked broadcaster KBS N and the CEO of the outsourced production company Mystic Story, among others, on suspicion of violating the Copyright Act and is investigating.

The issue at hand is the opening music that ‘Ask Anything, Fortune-teller’ used for about six years, from February 2019 to February 2024.

This opening used a portion of the Goddess of Fire Jeong Yi drama OST track ‘Garang Garang’ as is. Beyond that, it is also suspected of having been adapted by splicing it with other audio tracks without consent from the original author. This raises allegations not only of infringing the economic rights of the composer, but also of infringing moral rights through an adaptation made without consent.

Whether the use was reported also became an issue. The production team is said not to have notified the Korea Music Copyright Association of the use while employing the track. It is understood that the grounds for booking include the fact that it was used on air for an extended period without a formal usage contract or reporting procedures.

Meanwhile, a representative of the production company Mystic Story conveyed through the media the position that, "As the matter is under police investigation, it is difficult to offer additional comments on individual issues".