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Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo momentarily held at LA airport due to paperwork issue

Lee Jung-hoo, the Korean outfielder for the San Francisco Giants, was momentarily detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday (local time) over a paperwork issue, the major league club said.

According to the Giants, Lee "experienced a brief travel issue" in Los Angeles due to a paperwork issue" but was eventually allowed to enter the United States.

"The matter was quickly clarified with the appropriate authorities, and he has since been cleared to continue his travel. We appreciate the professionalism of all parties involved," the Giants said in a statement.

Giants general manager Zack Minasian told The Athletic that there were no political motivations behind the delay and Lee was not carrying any illegal items.

Lee is scheduled to appear at a Giants Fanfest on Saturday in California before traveling to Arizona for spring training.

Lee is also scheduled to play for Korea at the World Baseball Classic in early March. He is entering his third season with the Giants.







source: The Korea Times
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KATSEYE to perform at Grammy Awards

HYBE's multinational girl group KATSEYE will perform at the Grammy Awards ceremony in the United States early next month.

The Recording Academy, which organizes the Grammy Awards, announced on the 21st that KATSEYE will perform at the 68th Grammy Awards, set to take place on February 1, local time, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, LA, United States. KATSEYE is scheduled to perform in a special stage featuring all eight nominees for Best New Artist.

At this year's ceremony, KATSEYE has also been nominated for Best New Artist, a rookie award, as well as Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Earlier, they gained attention by entering the Billboard Hot 100, the main singles chart, last year with 'Gnarly' and 'Gabriela'. They later achieved 4th place on the Billboard 200, the main album chart, with their second EP 'BEAUTIFUL CHAOS'.

They released the new song 'Internet Girl' early this year and are also scheduled to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April.

source: chosun
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CL sent to prosecution for 'illegal agency management'

Agencies of Kang Dongwon and CL have been sent to prosecution for failing to register as official entertainment agencies.

On the 22nd, the Seoul Yongsan Police Station confirmed that they have sent CL (Lee Chaerin) and her agency, as well as CEO 'A' of Kang Dongwon's agency and the agency, to the Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office without detention on charges of violating the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act.

CL is accused of running her one-person agency for around 5 years and 7 months without registering the business with the local district office after establishing it in February 2020. Since CL personally served as the agency's CEO and managed its operations, she was handed over to the prosecution as a suspect.

CEO 'A' of Kang Dongwon's agency was also found to have operated his agency without registration for around 2 years and 9 months since its establishment in January 2023. However, Kang Dongwon was cleared of wrongdoing because he was not involved in the management or operation of the agency and had focused solely on his acting career.

The case arose when a complainant filed a report stating, "The Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act was enacted for the public interest by protecting vulnerable artists such as minors and trainees, improving unfair practices, and making sure businesses compete fairly. Running a business for a long time without registering it means that the business was conducted outside these safety guards, which is a serious issue. It undermines the protection of rookies and youth, damages the trust of business partners, and harms the fairness of the market."

Recently, it has become a social issue that some celebrities operate one-person agencies without registering their businesses, which is one of the legal requirements. Under current law, such registration is mandatory to operate an entertainment agency. Violations are punishable by up to 2years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million KRW.

Regarding this matter, the Korea Entertainment Management Association (CEMA) stated, "It shouldn't be taken lightly that famous celebrities, who should be one of the most compliant people, operate business without registrations for years." They also announced plans for strong countermeasures, including future legal complaints.

sources: pannative, nate