K-pop or the Korean music industry has gained popularity among the masses over the years. It has become a prominent musical genre with songs topping the global charts and catching eyeballs around the world.
This can be attributed to the success of K-pop groups like BTS and Blackpink in recent times. These K-pop idols have become a popular name, especially among the young generation, who ideally cannot stop simping over their flawless skin, dressing style, perfect body shape and their ability to sing and dance.
But, do you know what these K-pop idols go through during the course of their career?
The K-Pop Slave Contracts
The K-pop industry might look flashy from the outside, but there’s a dark side to it that not many know about.
The management agencies in K-pop scout for fresh talented individuals who aspire to become the next K-pop idols and train them. During the training period, the agency often binds these young trainees into ‘slave contracts’.
A slave contract is an unfair and long-term agreement signed between a K-pop idol and the management agency. These contracts are exploitative in nature and young dols get into debt with their agencies.
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These contracts put restrictions on idols to maintain a certain weight, to wear certain clothes and to look perfect all the time.
Young idols sign these abominable contracts at the age of 12 or 13 years and get trapped in the vicious circle of exploitation, often lasting for more than ten years!
Suicides And Deplorable Repercussions Faced By Young K-pop Idols
These contracts are known for controlling aspiring idols or trainees like ‘robots’ and treating them as ‘slaves’.
Many idols who got trapped in such contracts have also committed suicide. These include popular K-pop stars like Sulli and Jonghyun, who committed suicide because of unbearable pressure and abuse.
There have also been cases of increasing mental health issues among these young idols who are often forced to keep up with the high standards of beauty.
K-pop singer Sojung admitted on a Korean TV show that her hormonal levels dropped to those of menopausal women due to constant dieting.
Likewise, there are many others who face such repercussions in the K-pop industry.
A Wave Of Positive Change
Legal fights of K-pop idols stuck in these contracts and the increasing awareness among the common people have paved a way towards the declining authority of such contracts.
Now the management agencies are taking a more liberal approach while training the young aspiring idols.
Thankfully, the younger generation of K-pop stars are not subjected to such harsh agreements and progressive changes have been witnessed in the industry.
Image credits: Google images
Sources: BBC, Wikipedia, The Sun
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