The reason why Lee Hyung-taek, Yoon Seok-min, Nam Hyun-hee went to a celebrity agency
Sports stars are now in the era of professional broadcasters. Sports stars in each field have signed an exclusive contract with entertainment management and will promote broadcasting activities in the long run. As entertainment programs featuring sports stars became popular and a trend of “spoiler” settled in broadcasters, it seems to have quickly accepted them.
A case in point is that former tennis national team member Lee Hyung-taek signed an exclusive contract with FNC Entertainment, which includes broadcasters Kim Yong-man and Jung Hyung-don. This is the first time he has been involved in a professional management for celebrities since his retirement in 2009. It is also the first step in Korea to focus on the recent active broadcasting activities against the backdrop of its spectacular history, including advancing to the round of 16 in the men’s singles at the 2000 U.S. Open.
Yoon Seok-min, a former Kia Tigers pitcher, also joined hands with JDB Entertainment, which includes a number of comedians, including Kim Joon-ho and Kim Dae-hee, on the 28th of last month. Three years after his retirement, he reportedly chose JDB Entertainment, which was packed with “entertainment stars” as he set his career as a broadcaster.
Previously, billiard star Han Joo-hee signed an exclusive contract with Starit Entertainment, where singer Lee Sang-min and others work, and Nam Hyun-hee, a “peanut swordsman” who is appearing on the E-channel entertainment program “Knowing Sister,” respectively. Taekwondo hopeful Shin Min-chul followed his wife Woo Hye-rim from the Wonder Girls to Le Entertainment set up by singer Yubin.
It is quite different from the past when most sports stars joined hands with sports agencies to enter broadcasting. One entertainment program PD said on the 1st, “The results reflect the willingness of sports stars to continue their entertainment activities,” adding, “The demand for sports stars has increased sharply in broadcasters recently, and management companies familiar with broadcasting production systems are more effective than sports agencies.”
Recently, a series of entertainment programs featuring sports stars have been produced, and broadcaster management companies are also competing to recruit them. Recognition already familiar to viewers and thorough privacy management are considered to be attractive to sports stars.
