The current situation of K-pop
Last year, South Korea’s music industry generated more than 12 trillion won (about $8.3 billion) in revenue, double the 6 trillion won it achieved in 2018. However, when you examine the industry itself, criticism arises that its growth is superficial and lacks true maturity. .
In particular, idol rights issues continue to be a concern, exploitative practices abound, and the lack of adequate venues makes the claim that South Korea is the “home of K-pop” ring hollow.
Below are some notable points raised by critics regarding this industry.
Idol rights issues are long-standing concerns
On December 8, KG, an American member of VCHA, a multinational girl group launched by JYP Entertainment as part of its US localization strategy, accused the agency of abuse and announced her departure from the group and filed a cause.
While JYP’s US branch refuted the claims stating that “false and exaggerated,“The allegations have reignited concerns about persistent human rights issues in the K-pop industry.
In a press conference on November 28, NewJeans’ Minji explained the main issue behind the group’s decision to terminate the exclusive contract with ADOR. At the heart of the issue was the collapse of trust. The situation worsened further when an internal report described the crisis disparagingly, stating: “Simply discard the new ones (jeans) and start over.
This document, part of HYBE’s “Weekly Music Industry Report,” deeply upset the members, who felt disrespected. The group also highlighted the workplace bullying faced by member Hanni as one of the unresolved issues.
Even in an era where K-pop has gone global, idols’ rights remain under threat. Cases like those of VCHA and NewJeans highlight how idols are still seen more as products than people.
Former TEENTOP member Bang Min-soo fiercely criticized the practices of the idol industry, saying: “From the moment an idol debuts, they are controlled and repressed in every trivial aspect, from work, relationships and appearance, to social media posts, to avoid creating controversy.”
VCHA’s KG took to social media, saying that despite intense work demands and severe restrictions on her personal life, she has accumulated huge debts while barely receiving pay, calling this a deeply rooted problem in the K-pop industry .
He also added that he no longer wishes to work on music in such an environment and hopes that his actions will bring about changes in the K-pop system to protect idols and trainees.
Normalization of inhumane practices
The HYBE Idol document, which was shared among HYBE executives and leaders, was full of disparaging comments. These remarks also targeted underage idols, sparking widespread criticism.
HYBE issued a public apology and announced that it would cease creating such documents. However, the negative reaction persists. A national petition calling for a thorough investigation into the document surpassed 50,000 signatures on December 13, calling for a formal review by the relevant committee of the National Assembly.
Experts attribute these problems to the K-pop industry’s rapid, outward-focused growth. Since the 1920s, K-pop companies have expanded through mergers and acquisitions, recruiting talent from the IT, gaming and finance sectors. HYBE, for example, has 71 subsidiaries worldwide and its leadership includes figures from Google (CEO Lee Jae-sang) and Nexon (former CEO Park Ji-won).
Music critic Im Hee-yoon noted, “Reports like this probably arose from the need for easily understandable documents in various industries. It is reminiscent of the infamous 2005 “Celebrity X-File”, created by an advertising agency to provide information to clients, which caused a social uproar with its unverified claims and harsh ratings. Here the same contempt for artists as human beings is evident.”
The 19-year-old “Celebrity X-File” famously contained crude criticisms of appearances and unverified details about private lives, sparking public outrage. HYBE’s document reflects similar attitudes, with one agency official blaming the leadership’s inability to curb its desire for control.
There are growing calls for systemic reforms to match the sector’s external growth with internal maturity.
According to music critic Kim Do-heon, the biggest problem lies with the executives who approved and reviewed such documents, so the leadership must first change its mindset.
Meanwhile, senior researcher Kim Yoon-ji noted: “Although K-pop’s external growth has been rapid, its management practices have not kept pace. Since the multi-label system is unfamiliar to Korean companies, efforts must focus on strengthening internal supervision and promoting self-regulation.”
Ultimately, there is a need for an official organization that represents idol voices. Music critic Seo Jung-min-gap suggested: “The entertainment industry needs a body, such as a union, that can challenge poor decisions by corporate leadership. It’s time to seriously discuss the recognition of idols as workers.”
Indeed, as demonstrated by the case of NewJeans’ Hanni at the recent National Assembly, there has been no authority to protect idols, who are not “regular workers”, from harassment in the workplace.
