The talent agency Fantagio has denied claims that they are linked to the Chinese secret police, who used the restaurant as a cover.
For comparison, a South Chinese restaurant in Seoul’s Gangnam district was suspected of being the base of the Chinese Secret Police department in Korea.
According to the human rights organization that initially raised this issue, this “Chinese secret police” is present in at least 53 countries around the world.
South Korean authorities have since launched an investigation into a restaurant near Gangnam, but no specific details of the investigation have been disclosed.
Rumors about Fantagio’s involvement in the organization arose due to rumors that the executive director of HG Culture Media B is also the owner of the controversial restaurant A.
Fantagio, founded in 2008 as NAO, was acquired by JC Group, a Chinese global investment group, in 2016. In the year of the acquisition, B, who was director of HG Culture Media, was appointed external director of Fantagio.
However, in 2020, when JC Group sold shares and management rights to the Korean company GNC Partners, all Chinese executives resigned, as did B.
On December 29, Fantagio responded to the accusations: “When we had a Chinese CEO, B, who worked at HG Culture Media, was appointed an external head. But the current leaders have nothing to do with this person.”
Fantagio also explained: “Bi was fired when Park Hae-sung held the position of CEO. The current leadership took over after everything related to China was settled, so the current leadership has never even met with B.”
On the other hand, the management agency consisting of Fantagio and Fantagio Music is home to artists like ASTRO, Weki Meki, Ong Seong Wu, etc.
