The Fair Trade Commission has initiated investigations into major entertainment companies that allegedly increase the number of photocard types to induce more album purchases. 

This move comes in response to mounting criticism that the companies are exploiting the enthusiasm of idol fans by producing an excessive number of photo cards.

According to industry sources, the FTC conducted an on-site investigation at YG Entertainment on August 2. Prior to this, the FTC had also conducted investigations at SM Entertainment on the 31st of last month and JYP Entertainment on the 1st of this month. 

The reason behind these investigations is the surge in consumer complaints about large entertainment companies using these idol photo cards as a marketing strategy to sell more albums.

The popular idol group NCT has recently released nearly 50 different types of photocard, business card-sized cards containing photos of the group and its members. These photo cards are sold randomly within albums, prompting public criticism for what many perceive as a "money-making" scheme. 

Fans who want to check the contents of the photo cards must purchase the albums, which typically cost between 15,000 to 40,000 KRW each (11.53 USD~30.74 USD).

The photo cards can feature celebrity "selfies" that have not been released online, and some versions are even autographed. 

To acquire their desired member's photo cards, idol fans participate in a practice known as "album kkang (album unwrapping)," wherein they buy multiple albums and open the albums only for the photocards. 

Subsequently, they often resell rare photocards on platforms like Twitter or the DangGeun resale market, where prices can fluctuate significantly, with rarer cards commanding higher values.

This behavior has become a common practice among extreme fans, who see purchasing multiple albums as an unspoken rule to obtain the photo cards they desire.

The Fair Trade Commission is actively investigating entertainment companies, including large agencies like HYBE, SM, and YG. Previous investigations have focused on potential Subcontracting Act violations, particularly verbal contracts with outsourcing companies responsible for album and goods production.

Korean netizens have already become aware of the issue and commented in a popular online community, "This really needs to be regulated," "Now there are like multiple versions of one member per album," "This needs to be put under control at least for the environment," "Please end this trend of collecting photocards," "I really wish they just get rid of photocards in albums," "This is such a sly scheme," and "I hate the unrevealed selfie photos that are exclusively revealed through album photocards."