The Korea Herald

피터빈트

JYP’s Manhattan office hit for yet another violation

By Korea Herald

Published : Oct. 17, 2012 - 19:47

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The New York office building of the Korean entertainment industry mogul Park Jin-young, more popularly known as JYP, was recently hit with another construction code violation, pending a hearing, by the Department of Buildings in New York City.

The three-story building located in midtown Manhattan is said to be used as office space for JYP Entertainment. However, last month the building received a construction violation notice which claimed that the first floor of the building is currently being used as a music studio, contradicting the conditions of occupancy that state that all the floors ― from basement to the third floor ― are being used as work offices. 
JYP Entertainment’s New York City office in midtown Manhattan. (Google Earth) JYP Entertainment’s New York City office in midtown Manhattan. (Google Earth)
Park Jin-young Park Jin-young

This is not the first time that company has been cited for using the property illegally. In 2010, the office was cited for construction violation and JYPE was found guilty in Jan. 2011 and fined $2,400 for using the first floor as a music studio, violating the building’s occupancy code. JYPE submitted their certificate of correction in June of this year claiming the matter has been fixed and the violation was deemed as “resolved” by the Department of Buildings.

However, the New York office was once again issued a violation last month for using the first floor as a music studio. The hearing to determine whether or not the JYP office is guilty of violating of this code for the second time is scheduled for Nov. 1. Should the office be found in violation of the building’s occupancy code, the company could face another several thousand dollars in fines and may be forced to comply with the regulations by shutting down the alleged studio space.

To date, the NY office space has had a total of nine violations, including the one currently pending. JYPE was found guilty in six out of the nine filed claims. The infringements varied from fire safety hazards to building structure violations, resulting in the incurrence of penalties totaling nearly $15,000, with $2,500 still unpaid.

In 2010, the JYPE Manhattan office was under serious scrutiny for illegally using the office space as housing for one the agency’s top clients, the Wonder Girls. The city of New York stated that it was “perilous to human life,” noting that there wasn’t even a sprinkler system in the rooms where the girls had slept resulting in it being deemed a fire hazard. The Department of Buildings issued a “Partial Vacate Order,” closing down a portion of the building until JYPE resolved the violations.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)