Many disturbing stories showing the dark side of Korea’s entertainment industry continue to be unveiled.
Entering the Korean entertainment industry has always been the dream of many young people. However, in order to debut as a K-pop idol, trainees not only have to face harsh training schedules, extreme diets and exercise regimes, but they also become victims of the negativity of Korean showbiz.
YouTuber Jong Hongan – a college student in Korea who had the opportunity to appear on KBS’s morning show has recently shared about the dark sides of Kpop in his video. Besides being required to meet the strict standards of an idol, many trainees also face bullying, discrimination, and sexual harassment.
According to Jong Hongan, in order to become a K-pop idol, trainees must be good-looking, or have outstanding talent to catch the eyes of entertainment agencies. However, if they fail to have either visuals or skills, trainees can still have a chance of entering the idol world as long as they come from a wealthy and powerful family background.
Additionally, he also revealed that Kpop trainees had to practice for up to 12 hours a day, with little time to eat, rest and spend on their personal lives. One of the most important things for trainees is to control their weight and body proportions. Kpop trainees have their weight measured every day. If they gain weight or do not meet the fitness requirements, their names will be crossed out from the debut line-ups and have their contracts unilaterally terminated by the companies.
Jong Hongan also shared that many Kpop trainees are victims of bullying. Bullying is still an ongoing issue at Korean entertainment companies. Seniors tend to oppress and show aggressive behavior towards their juniors.
Furthermore, he disclosed that learning to sing and dance is not enough for the trainees; they must also learn to “act” whenever and wherever there is a camera. Because the trainees will be two different personalities when they stand in front of the camera and when they go backstage. A person who often shows an unpleasant attitude and bullies fellow trainees will be able to become extremely friendly when standing in front of the camera.
However, the above is hardly the worst of the worst. An extremely scary “dark side” in the Korean entertainment world is the fact that trainees are forced to “entertain” powerful figures. For small, unknown companies in the entertainment industry, this sad status quo is completely existent.
These companies’ CEOs frequently force certain trainees to go to their own houses. Every week, a different trainee will be chosen to meet with the big bosses. This is not just true for female trainees, but also for male trainees. Surely many people can guess what will happen during those “secret” meetings.
It can be seen that K-pop trainees not only experience difficult training schedules and bullying from their bandmates, but they also confront tremendously awful and negative situations. As a result, for young people, the desire of becoming an idol has never been easy. Many people have given up on becoming K-pop stars because they can’t handle the pressures of the entertainment industry.
