A former staff member has come forward with shocking revelations about the dark side behind the fascinating world of K-pop, leaving many netizens stunned.
A TikToker is currently gaining attention after sharing her experiences working as a tour manager and performer in the K-pop industry. According to her, beyond the “high maintenance” personal needs such as using only imported bottled mineral water for daily tasks, the work environment was full of strict rules and disturbing realities that completely changed his perception of the world of entertainment.
His video series quickly went viral. In just three days the first part exceeded 1.4 million views. He began by describing unreasonable demands from celebrities, including one idol who refused to brush his teeth or wash his face with anything other than bottled Volvic water.
The difficulties did not stop there. He recalled the absurd situations that the staff had to endure: “We had to run down the Las Vegas Strip for more than an hour just to find lemon-flavored Perrier water because a manager thought he heard the artist mention it. And the artist only drank two sips.” In another case, a performer reportedly became enraged simply because the interpreter did not translate his screams and screams.
The working environment behind the scenes was also described as highly oppressive, with clear abuse of power by management. During an event in Los Angeles, a CEO and senior executives allegedly turned a business trip into a family vacation by forcing staff members to babysit and take his daughter to Six Flags amusement park for an entire day.
The extreme workload was another issue. At one point, the team reportedly went for 40 hours with almost no food, surviving on just one bottle of water and dealing with endless demands. Staff were also subject to bizarre rules, such as being threatened with immediate dismissal if they dared look at the stage during rehearsals, or being forced to keep their heads down if they encountered performers in the hotel corridors.
In addition to physical exhaustion, the former manager also exhibited serious safety risks and incidents of harassment. She recalled having to go to an artist’s room at 2 a.m. in Texas to remove a homeless woman who had somehow gotten in. Even more disturbing, she said she endured two years of unwanted advances from a manager, who allegedly tried to kiss her during a tour and even insisted he would immigrate to the United States to marry her.
The idols themselves were not free from criticism. He shared troubling stories that left many viewers uneasy: “An artist texted one of the female staff under my supervision, asking her to come to his room at 1 am” In another case, he revealed, “One artist flirted with all the female staff, only to find out he already had a girlfriend in Korea.”
Under the videos, many netizens commented that these revelations were not entirely shocking, suggesting that such problems are somewhat to be expected in an industry as complex as K-pop. Instead of being surprised, many now focus on speculation and try to identify the artists and managers mentioned in the story.
While the claims have not been verified, the viral testimony has shed light on a different side of the K-pop industry, sparking widespread discussion and debate among online communities.
Sources: K14
