K-POP is an industry where idols experience hate or company mistreatment and it has only gotten worse over the years.
K-POP, short for Korean Popular Music, was introduced in 1992 with boy group Seo Taiji and The Boys on MBC, a tv show in South Korea. This was a step in breaking tradition, resulting in backlash from conservatives stating they were corrupting young minds with non-traditional music.
This industry can be fun but it does have its dark side—some obsessive fans, AKA sasaengs take their loyalty to idols way too far. Some sasaengs have sought out idols homes, spread rumors, harassing family, etc. Real fans do not go around doing these things.
According to The Strait Times, Josh, a German stalker was known to stalk Nayeon of the group TWICE. Her studio, JYP Entertainment filed a lawsuit against him. However, when fans found out that the ban was lifted, their reactions was driven by concern. Realistically, JYP can only do so much.
According to Billboard, Nayeon was on a return flight to Korea from Japan and Josh had managed to get on the same plane. When getting off the plane, he attempted multiple times to approach her and was warned to not go near Nayeon. Bodyguards were able to calm the situation down but that still left Nayeon feeling uncomfortable and anxious. As a result, she was placed under police protection.
This is how intense devoted fans can be when it comes to the idols they love. Stooping to disrespectful and problematic behavior should never be how we, as fans, treat idols. Everyone who acts like this keeps forgetting that most idols are usually young adults. They are human and should be treated as such.
“They are engulfed into the puppet show put on by the company, that they become para-social. This leads to the mental distress of our idols and maybe even physical,” said Palomar student Emma Baik.
The pressure for an idol is so much more intense than your typical Western artist, to the point where we lose idols due to suicide.
According to The Washington Post, Jonghyun, the main vocalist of the boy group SHINee, committed suicide on Dec. 18, 2017, due to immense expectations and criticism experienced by many K-POP stars. Many fans still mourn his death to this day.
The period of training can play a big role in the mental health of idols because they still experience the same amount of pressure as an active idol. Working for over 12 hours a day can get exhausting. The trainings, especially the physical aspect of it, can be brutal as companies seem to care more about looks than talent.
Fans aren’t the only ones who mistreat idols, their own companies do so as well. Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR, had stated multiple times that ILLIT, a recent girl group had been plagiarizing her ideas. This left us in shock as we started to see the similarities between Hee-jin’s group “NewJeans” and ILLIT.
The conflict led to HYBE asking Min Hee-jin to step down from her position. The members of NewJeans had to find out through an article that someone they loved working with was being unfairly removed from her position. This caused multiple mixed reactions between fans. All fans want is for things to go back to the way they were before.
On a livestream held by NewJeans in September, members expressed their opinions on what this could potentially do to their future. Hanni, Vocalist stated that this whole feud has led to a group manager telling another idol group to ignore Hanni when passing in the hallway.
The members of NewJeans stated they would not follow HYBE’s order blindly. They went on to demand Min Hee-jin’s return to her previous position so the members could return to their old environment by the 25th of September. On this date, ADOR held a board meeting and stated, “The board has resolved to convene an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting to reappoint Min Hee-jin as an internal director.”
Fans don’t know for sure if this arrangement will be accepted.
The live stream has since been deleted since it can be a breach of contract with HYBE Labels. It was a risk that many worried would lead to NewJeans’ disbandment.
I think it was worth the risk because they are standing up for themselves. Which most idols do not do because of the legally binding contracts they signed. They are going against company rules and could risk a breach of contract, but sometimes, it has to be done to get justice.
HYBE stated later on in a document that they plan to let Min Hee-jin continue to produce and be a creative director just not a CEO. This arrangement will end when NewJeans’ seven-year contract ends in 2029.
For most fans and me, this works fine because at least the girls still get to work with the director they like. I hope we can see more groups come forward about the mistreatment they have been through and hold these companies accountable for what they have done over the years.
