Behind the Scenes: The Appalling Truth of the K-Pop World

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I love singing, listening to music, reading, math, international politics, and having fun with my friends.

Following the recent release of K-Pop Idol Group BTS's full length album, Wings, and the international success of their title song Blood, Sweat and Tears, the K-Pop craze has taken hold of millions of people across the globe. K-Pop fans know everything about their favourite idol or idol group- their likes, dislikes,

birthdays, personalities, and nicknames - but do they know what kind of conditions they work under? Do they know of the inhumane way in which the idols are treated by their own entertainment company? No.

Every year, the K-Pop Idol Factory produces new flawless, dancing, singing, rapping machines ready to be packaged in smiley face wrapping paper and delivered to your nearest electronic device with a disclaimer, 'No human beings have been harmed in the making of this machine'. We blindly believe this disclaimer, conveniently ignoring the smaller line at the bottom, 'Idols are not human beings.' If we are aware of the plight of numerous hungry children in Somalia, why not the plight of celebrities we quite literally worship?

We are all living under the assumption that slavery has been abolished in most parts of the world, but I'm sure it will come as a shock to know that your favourite K-Pop idols are the victims of slavery in one of its more imperceptible forms. Over the past decade, there have been numerous lawsuits filed against popular entertainment companies by the idols that work under them. A term that makes its appearance in all of these lawsuits is "slave contract'. Due to these cases, some of the clauses in these highly confidential 'slave contracts' between an idol and an entertainment company, have been brought to light.

One of the more popular cases is that of Han Geng, a member of the successful idol group, Super Junior, who was working under SM Entertainment, a company known best for the number of lawsuits filed against it. Han Geng filed his lawsuit against SM, asking them to free him from his contract. An article published in 2009, stating the reasons for his departure from the company says:

'The contract had provisions in SM Entertainment’s favour, the 13-year contract length was unlawful, it would take an unfair sum of money to end the contract, he was not allowed to request to revise his contract, he was forced to do things that were not in his contract, he was forced to do things against his will, he was fined if he disobeyed the company, missed any events or was late, and there was unfair profit distribution. Along with this, it was disclosed that because of SM Entertainment’s refusal to give him a day off in over two years, he had developed gastritis and kidney disease.'

Furthermore, he revealed that he had only been given 4,000 yuan after his first year of performing. Imagine having to work so hard, putting your own health on the line, just to be paid such a meagre sum at the end of the year, which is barely enough to take care of your own basic necessities, let alone that of your family.

K-Pop Idols are picked up by talent scouts at the young age of 13-14. The guardians of these children are then made to sign a trainee contract with the company, that, again, is no better than any full length contract. They are placed under rigorous schedules in which the words 'rest and 'sleep rarely make their appearance, their hours filled with dancing, singing, and variety show training. The horrifying working conditions of trainees and full blown idols, is a violation of Articles 23, 24, and 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that set out the rights of those under employment.

Trainee contracts, are, in fact, much worse than regular contracts, as trainees are unsure of whether they will ever really debut. If the company decides that they are not good enough, they are released from their trainee contract. Usually, when the trainees are abandoned, they have already wasted their formative middle and high school years, and are left with no clear future. Trainees are sometimes required to sell their bodies to influential people at clubs, just so that they may get ahead in the industry.

Perhaps the most controversial clause of the 'slave contract' is the dating ban. I say controversial, and not wrong because the reasons for this restriction, as put forward by entertainment companies, actually seem to be quite reasonable. I'm sure every single time one of your favourite Western singers is rumoured to have a girlfriend or boyfriend, you do feel a pang of jealousy no matter how supportive of a fan you are. Korean companies rightfully claim that allowing the idols to date may spoil the 'always available' image they portray to the fans, destroying their fans' fantasies, and thus, dealing a huge blow to their popularity. Another reason stated is that the other person involved in the relationship is often subjected to intense hatred from fans of the idol group.

On the other hand, however, idols we sometime forget, are also human beings and deserve the freedom to be involved in relationship like any other mature adults in their 20s. Minami Minegishi, a core member of Japanese group AKB48, had something quite similar to say in her YouTube video when she was demoted to the status of trainee after spending a night at the house of a boy group member. In her YouTube video, she sported a shaved head, pitifully crying and apologising for her 'thoughtless deed of being a normal 20 year old'.

In the western world, fans are the people who support your career and inspire you to work harder. However, in the K-Pop industry, some fans take their obsession to new heights. Sasaeng fans, as they are know in Korea, are the fans that dedicate their entire lives to stalking their preferred idol group. Some even drop out of school and sell themselves into prostitution just so that they can hire cabs to constantly follow their favourite idol. They have been known to hack into cameras, break into their idol's apartments, and check their mobiles to see if they have been in frequent contact with any girl. Some of their actions are too horrific to put in words.

As if that wasn't enough, idols deal with the antics of anti fans as well, who in some cases resort to violent methods to stop the career of their hated idol. In 1999 Gan Mi -Yeon from Baby VOX received a letter filled with razor blades and hate mail with photos of her with her eyes put out. In 2000. Yoon Kye-Sang from G.O.D. had his drink adulterated with bleach and laundry chemicals, which unfortunately, his mother consumed. The drink in question landed her in the hospital.

If the same had occurred in the western pop industry, strict actions would have been taken against the fans. Yet, entertainment companies backing these idols have turned a blind eye to all of this, refusing to sue the wrongdoers for violating Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, instead requesting idols to put up with their crazy fans, Is this fair? Why must K-Pop idols have to put up with this encroachment into their privacy?

All of these crimes are only those that have been revealed. Who knows what horrendous atrocities are yet to be discovered? Next time, when you watch a K-Pop video or live performance, remember that the idols are usually starved, sleep deprived, and exhausted every time they climb onto stage to perform the dance routine they were forced to sacrifice their sleep for to practice and perfect. Yet, they always appear to be the epitome of energy, enthusiasm, and excitement. Why? It is because they have come on stage to inspire you, their fans, with their music. They work so hard for us, so why don't we do something to improve their lives? Spread awareness about their plight and support them. Only then can you call yourself a true fan.