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The Dark Side of the K-Pop Industry

Molly Wilson
dark side of K-pop industry

TW: This article discusses disordered eating and suicide.

 Molly Wilson

The rise in popularity of K-pop in the West has led to the exposure and celebration of the Asian music industry. However, behind the glamour and perfection lies the dark side of the K-pop industry: slave contracts with ‘no dating’ clauses, impossibly high beauty standards, and a huge taboo around mental illness.

“high-budget music videos, polished choreography, and catchy songs”

K-pop has exploded globally in recent years, with groups such as BTS and Blackpink becoming some of the biggest artists in the world. Their success has garnered massive online ‘stan‘ communities; these fans can be very vocal, at times, causing fan wars to break out on Twitter over which group is more successful or talented. With high-budget music videos, polished choreography, and catchy songs, it is clear why K-pop is so alluring to fans.

However, this can lead to cyberbullying when fans criticise other groups. K-pop artists, or idols as they’re commonly known, are under a huge amount of scrutiny not only from their fans, but also from their entertainment companies.

https://twitter.com/hyunmiffy/status/1684784873980952577

The pressure to be perfect

Unlike in the Western music industry, K-pop stars are not discovered, they are created. Those hoping to become idols must audition for an entertainment company and go through rigorous training to gain a slim chance to debut. Trainees must endure long hours of singing and dance practise, all while continuing regular schooling.

“I didn’t eat anything for the whole week and went to the gym all the time.”

Idols are expected to be perfect in every way. Their image is very important, with most idols not being allowed to talk about political or social issues publically. Some are not even permitted to have their own phone.

What’s more, they must strive towards dangerous body image ideals. Trainees and idols often have strict diets to lose weight, despite the amount of physical activity demanded of them.

Twice’s Momo spoke on a livestream about her diet in the week leading up to her debut. She said: “I didn’t eat anything for the whole week and went to the gym all the time. I spat all the time so there was no water in my body. And when I laid down on the bed and tried to sleep, I was scared that I wouldn’t wake up again, so I suddenly started crying.”

Unfair contracts

Once a trainee debuts, they must sign a contract with their entertainment company. K-pop groups release new albums multiple times a year, meaning their schedules are packed and they have little time to rest. This contract also usually states that the idol must repay the expenses from their training. Sometimes the idol will not see any profit for the first few years of their contract.

In 2022, Loona member Chuu filed a lawsuit to terminate her unfair contract with the company Blockberry Creative. The company fired Chuu in retaliation, giving the reason of “violent language and misuse of power” towards staff. Chuu’s contract stated that she must split profits 30/70 with the company, but share expenses 50/50. This left her in a huge amount of debt. The other 11 members of Loona also filed lawsuits to terminate their contracts shortly after.

Loona’s fans, known as Orbits, boycotted their upcoming album, forcing the company to delay its release. Fortunately, in January 2023 all 12 members of Loona ended their contracts with Blockberry Creative.

Dating scandals

Another part of an idol’s contract might be a ‘no dating’ clause. This directive aims to keep the idol focused on their career, while making them appear ‘available’ to fans. When news breaks that an idol is in a relationship, it can create a huge, career-ending scandal.

Dispatch, a Korean media outlet similar to TMZ, have a New Years tradition of unveiling an idol relationship to the public. Famous couples include Blackpink’s Jennie, EXO’s Kai, Rain, and Kim Tae Hee, and Girls Generation’s Yoona and Lee Seung Gi. While entertainment companies usually deny rumours, they can have devastating effects on the idols’ careers. There can even be petitions to remove them from their group.

https://twitter.com/2rganid_eht/status/1429687228813426689

In 2018, HyunA and E-Dawn from the group Triple H were revealed to be dating. Their entertainment company tried to deny the rumours, but the couple confirmed their relationship had started in 2016. Unsurprisingly, they received a huge amount of backlash from the company, leading to the termination of their contracts with Cube Entertainment.

The taboo of mental illness

There still remains a huge taboo around mental health and suicide in South Korea. A highly competitive culture around education and employment leads to anxiety and depression, and admitting to struggling is seen as failure. It can be difficult to access mental health services in South Korea as therapy is expensive. In 2021, suicide was recorded as the main cause of death for Koreans aged 10-39.

“Young people fear seeking help as their records might be seen by potential employers”

K-pop idols are not immune to these struggles. In 2017, SHINee member Jonghyun committed suicide at the age of 27. He had reportedly been struggling with depression.

In 2019, f(x)’s Sulli took her life aged 25 after suffering depression due to cyberbullying. She had spoken openly about being a feminist, which is another taboo topic in South Korea.

Most recently, in early 2023 Astro member Moonbin was found dead in his apartment aged 25. The cause of death is thought to be suicide.

These tragic stories show how difficult it can be, even for Korean celebrities, to get help for mental health issues. Young people fear seeking help as their records might be seen by potential employers or make them look “like a crazy person.”

As Korean pop culture becomes more prevalent across the world, the dark side of this entertainment industry must be scrutinised. If the K-pop industry truly wants to cement itself globally, a huge change needs to be made in the way its idols are treated. International fans are unlikely to want to support an industry that mistreats the artists that they love, after all.

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Featured image courtesy of Pixabay on Pexels. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image. 

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