K-pop is probably one of the hottest things right now since the K-pop group named High Five of Teenagers debuted in 1996
K-pop groups have been breaking records left and right, popping and collaborating with Western entertainment to widen their popularity, winning the hearts of people around the globe
But did you know that behind the glittering performances and behind their overflowing success, there are frightening, almost sickening corners of this industry
from collapsing caused by lack of sleep and consuming just an ice cube after 24 hours of
endless training to committing the greatest sin on earth ending their own lives this is the dark
side of the k-pop industry the curse of being a k-pop idol if you're working or as a student right
now your routine is most likely going to school or going to work finishing your projects and
assignments watching netflix playing online games and this is the exact opposite if you're a k-pop
idol or aspiring to be one. You'll probably see your trainer more often than your parents
because on top of going to school or going to your job, you need to train all the time
like learning the Korean language if you're a foreign trainee, practicing dancing, and having
vocal lessons. And whatever skill you're enhancing, you have to practice it even on the holidays
No pauses, no breaks, just master your talent and become the so-called idol. Not to mention that
entertainment companies are extremely selective when it comes to choosing their trainee
so you can smell from afar how toxic and competitive that kind of environment is
If you became the chosen trainee, the company will invest its money to train you
Sounds good, right? But here's the thing. You're expected to pay it back
This seems like nothing if your career shines like a star, but if you fail, you're again expected to pay it back
Because of all that, your debt to the company grows day in and day out
Speaking of day by day, you're not allowed to follow your regular eating routine
if you're in the K-pop industry, because they have extreme diet rules
Take the vocalist of BTS, Jimin, as an example. He showed signs of anorexia an eating disorder and serious mental health conditions He admitted that he had only eaten a single meal within the span of 10 days because of his intent to lose weight and appear more slimmer because it the standard for the typical K idol
K-pop idols are expected to meet extremely high bars of moral standards to represent K-pop as free from everything bad in life
such as violence, drugs, mental health issues, so on and so forth
And this points us to the sensitive issue of mental health in South Korean culture
As Park Balm said in his interview regarding her mental health issue
in this country, mental health is still a tender, nearly taboo topic
In one article from BBC, a former K-pop trainee Elaine Chong said that she could have been a K-pop idol
but she was glad she quit. Why? Well, when you're journeying your way to become an idol, if you collapse, it's normal
Because starving yourself is like a golden rule as a trainee. If you collapse due to exhaustion, good for you
It's a sign of working really hard because you want it so much. As Chang recalled it, looking back on it now, I think it was really disgusting
Now, maintaining these small-scale weight measurements is far from the middle line
As one of the trainees, you would undergo monthly evaluations. In the case of YG Entertainment, the agency that brought 2 Anyone and Blackpink to life
they require trainees to perform one group performance as well as one solo performance
So, as you might imagine, you and other trainees will be evaluated by the staff
And don't think that they're going to be kind and sweet, giving you compliments and motivating you to improve
because all you'll receive is heartless criticism. And if you fail to amuse them
your career will end before it even started as they abruptly send you home
And now that you're in the house, brokenhearted by what happened, open your Netflix and watch the Blackpink
Light Up the Sky documentary and see for yourself. As Jenny Kim said
I remember having to send a good friend of mine home every month because they got eliminated from the test
And being told that I'm not good at stuff face-to-face and trying to keep everything together
when I hear those things, it was very harsh. Well she right It harsh but not as harsh as what happened to the band of East Light from Media Line Entertainment This news will probably raise your eyebrows because Lee said he and his members had been verbally and physically abused by a producer named Producer A The Eastlight even after their debut
is locked up, beaten, and threatened multiple times. Lee's description of what Media Line Entertainment
did to him and his members are plainly terrifying. But it's not just the small agencies
that are doing this kind of punishment because SM and YG are reportedly
having the same punishments too. And if that raises your eyebrows, then the next thing that we're gonna tell you
is going to give you goosebumps because not all of them have mental toughness
to fight the pressure. And that leads to ending their own lives
For the past few years, numerous idols opened up about having the stress
of their fans and agencies put on their shoulders. And despite countless hours of practicing their craft
they received ruthless criticism from people. Some idols are going too far
by even taking their own lives. The depression that has slowly eaten away at me
has finally consumed me and I couldn't beat it. These are the last words written by the 27-year-old
Jonghyun of the popular boy band Shin-mi before taking his own life December 18 of 2017
Two years later, So Lee from the girl group FX took her own life too, and six weeks after
her death, a member of a girl group, Kara, named Gu Hara, 28 years old, died, and according
to the police investigation, the incident is described as a suicide. Now, you're fired and sent home by your agency, right
You can say to yourself that the treatment of K-pop trainees might be extremely cruel, and you might be cursing their tactics of finding the next big thing in the K-pop industry
No worries, you're not the only one binding the spell But no matter how huge matters of trainees and idols
Raising their hands against the work industry's way They're not going to change it because it works
And even if you don't like it The monstrous way of treating trainees and idols
Is what shapes them into mythological celebrities That we see everywhere on the internet
Using the idea of failure and stress as motivation Allows trainees to improve themselves to an unimaginable scale
And even the top-selling girl group Has gone through this kind of treatment too Twice we've talked about what it was like before debuting
and the Japanese member Momo revealed how their agency instructed her to lose 14 pounds in a single week just to meet the launching requirements How could they achieve that kind of requirement You won believe this so keep watching One of the trainee
exercises 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They will consume nothing but a single ice cube, afraid that
even the single ice cube could move the needle of the weighing scale. And the effect of this traumatic
experience is that the trainee was terrified to go to sleep because she might have not waken up
again. It's normal that trainees are physically alluring. That's why agencies are controlling
their bodies by giving them an intensive diet plan. But it's just the tip of the iceberg because when we dig deeper, we can see the meticulous
gym routine. A member of Crayon Pop confessed how difficult this routine was by saying
We used to dance with 4 kilograms or 8.8 pounds of sandbags on our feet for several days
Our teacher wanted us to get used to the sandbags, so without them, our dances would look lighter
K-pop idols are made to train for 8-10 hours per day, with short breaks like a body-breaking
routine together with one meal a day or two, depending on the idol's goal
To make it even worse, this is just the average idol or trainee's routine. The effect of this routine could be seen at concerts and live stages
Some of them are killing it with kindness, performing to the next level. But some of them, we won't say any words
Just take a look at this. Yes, the K-pop industry has a resume to prove that the tactics of putting trainees
through this kind of unimaginable amount of stress is effective as hell. But just like any wound in the human body, it leaves scars on the trainee's soul
And even if they become the idol that they dream of, the anxiety and stress will still haunt them
Everyone is perfect, and if someone isn't perfect, they're labeled to be unworthy of being an idol
Trainees are like clay to agencies because they're always trying to mold them into the perfect image
And this kind of extremely strict mindset transforms the netizens, shaping their mentality to expect perfect idols and to criticize or tear down anyone who's far from such a thing
Now, let's get back to you. After they've sent you home After witnessing and hearing
All the harsh yet effective And helpful ways Of raising the next superstar idol What do you think
If it's working Why would they change it