The Kpop industry is filled with darker sides, and the mistreatment of less popular Kpop idols is extremely prevalent
As a group gains popularity, they will also receive better treatment – this is an unspoken role in the Korean entertainment industry. Meanwhile, idols with less popularity, who are mostly from small companies, are sadly neglected and mistreated, and below are some prime examples.
OMEGA X
Recently, it was revealed that boy group OMEGA X is often verbally and physically abused by their own CEO, Kang Seong Hee. In particular, a netizen shared footage of the group being pushed and shouted at by the CEO, followed by further evidence by other fans and broadcasting station SBS. While OMEGA X’s agency, Spire Entertainment, denied all allegations, the fact that they left the boy group behind in the US and members had to pay their own way back to Korea speaks volume.
DKZ
In the case of DKZ (former name DONGKIZ), a member, Jaechan enjoys higher popularity than the rest of his group, after starring in the Boy Love drama “Semantic Error”. As a result, the company treats him differently compared to other members.
In particular, the male idol would attend a lot of personal schedules and had a solo performance at the Dance Sports event of the 2022 ISAC.
Nevertheless, there are still cases where Jaechan himself was mistreated, such as the time he had to miss out on a film festival schedule due to his agency’s mismanagement.
Fanatics
Fanatics used to become a hot topic after the action of their staff was caught during a livestream. In particular, the girl group, who debuted under F-ENT, was using blankets to cover their legs while wearing mini-skirts.
However, a male staff suddenly said, “Are you dumb? I’m trying to show their legs”, and sounds of slapping could be heard through the screen, leading to speculations that Fanatics were being forced to reveal their bodies.
SOLIA
Kpop girl group SOLIA debuted on August 17, 2021 with a 5 member lineup. Under Space Music Entertainment, the group released their first single “Dream”, but did not have enough fun to promote on music shows. As a result, they barely got any recognition, and ended up disbanding 7 days after their debut.
Unbalanced treatment between Starship Entertainment artists
Starship Entertainment landed itself in a lot of controversies due to alleged “unbalanced treatment” towards its artists. In particular, IVE, who enjoy great popularity and earned a lot of money, get to hold birthday V-lives in well-decorated rooms. Meanwhile, other artists like WJSN (also known as Cosmic Girls) and CRAVITY, who are less popular, have to use a room that’s barely decorated, and even reuse items from time to time.
Source: yan
