The Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) ordered the record label SM Entertainment to stop impeding the career efforts of the K-pop trio JYJ on Wednesday in an official agency sanction.

A representative from the FTC explained that the label, along with help from the Korean Federation of Pop Culture and Art Industry (KFPCAI), started a campaign against JYJ after the three bandmates left SM Entertainment boy band TVXQ in 2009, over a contract dispute.

"Despite JYJ's high album sales, their activities as a group were restricted in Korea, and they had to promote through areas where SM's influence was less [pervasive] like dramas, musicals, and advertisements," the FTC rep said.

In addition to blacklisting the group from television performances, SM Entertainment executives also asked Warner Music Korea to stop distributing the first JYJ album "The Beginning."

The KFPCAI assisted in urging Warner to drop the JYJ album and reportedly issued a formal request to three major broadcast stations, six music and cable stations, five online music sites and 11 album retailers to not sell or promote JYJ's album, according to the website allkpop.

"SM, one of the Big Three [South Korean entertainment] agencies, and KFPCAI, which is composed of various organizations involved in the entertainment industry, applied incredible pressure on companies and as a result, JYJ experienced cancellations of music and variety programs, a change in music ranking, and cancellations of documentaries and theater screenings," the FTC statement added.

The three members of JYJ, Kim Jae Joong, Park Yu Chun and Kim Jun Su issued a statement through their record label C-JeS on Wednesday, reacting to the news.

"We thank the FTC for their decision. We have been fighting arduously since 2009, and it felt like we were walking in a desert with no end in sight." the statement read.

"But we felt that things have been changing for the better, and we have gained a lot of strength from it. With this order from FTC, we hope that we can perform on fair stages and go about our activities in a better environment. We also hope that this helps to open the doors for our juniors."

According to the FTC official, this is a big day for South Korean artists.

"This is a case in which we prohibited large-scale agencies from using their influence to pressure businesses to interfere in the promotional activities of celebrities whom they are in a dispute with," the official said.