Suicides, unreal expectations and more: The dark underbelly of K-Pop

Worldwide phenomenon K-pop band BTS recently announced that the group was going on an indefinite break to charge their batteries. It is the band’s second suspension in less than two years and questions are once again being raised over the K-pop culture in South Korea which tends to overwork the artists. 

If a popular band like BTS can exhaust themselves in under two years, one wonders what is the status of hundreds of other groups that are being carefully modeled to be the next big sensation.   

There is no shadow of a doubt that South Korea has been using K-pop bands as a means of soft power. K-pop is currently giving big Hollywood artists a run for their money. BTS has been ruling the Billboard charts and has broken several big records lately. Trying to emulate their success, bands like EXO, BLACKPINK have made their mark with myriad more lining up. 

However, there is a dark side to this dizzying fame. A dark side that is rarely talked about in the popular media. For every global successful K-pop group, there are several hundred that have failed.  

It is pertinent to note that K-pop groups aren’t made in garages, pubs, or on live TV (Read: One Direction). They are manufactured in a factory-like setting with a conveyor belt churning out stars with glowing skin, perfectly coiffed hair, impeccable smile, and an overall ‘caricaturish’ feel that appears too good to be true.  

The South Korean sweatshops producing K-pop groups

There is a proper industry working behind the scenes to manufacture the next BTS. K-pop groups are usually formed by South Korean entertainment agencies that host auditions both domestically and abroad, searching for talent after the announcement of a new group. 

They have a set list of demands and places to fill. Moreover, the pre-requisites include being aesthetically beautiful and presentable on the stage. Any knowledge of English is an added bonus.  

To avoid any drama or clash of egos the individuals are chosen with exceptional hold over their particular domains. While one might be a vocalist, the other might be a rapper and the third may be a dancer. This way, the group stays intact for a longer period of time. 

The trainee period

After the auditions are aced, the grueling 5–10-year period of grooming these talented individuals commences. Mostly the candidates are chosen in the age bracket of 10-13 and made to sign ‘slave contracts’.  

Meaning, they are made to go through practice routines from morning to night, seven days of the week for three to four years at least, which could last even longer, if the group fails to break the glass ceiling. For instance, BTS’s Jimin trained for 10 months, while Blackpink’s Jennie trained for six years. 

Food habits and body standards are overly regulated

The back-breaking routine often leads to breakdown as many are not able to cope with the madness of the management companies to invent a new money-minting outlet. Apart from the dancing, the food habits of the performers are closely monitored. 

Bordering on anorexic levels, these performers are made to eat less and less food, so as not to gain weight and look stuffy on stage. If someone has a slightly wide nose or a facial feature that does not conform to the ideal South Korean beauty standards, they are forced to go under the knife.  

Cannot date and cannot reveal their sexual orientations

While K-pop groups bat for gender equality, fluidity, and liberty of practising their sexual orientations, most of them are not allowed by their management companies to reveal their true sexual identities.  

Homophobia is still rife in South Korea, where very few mainstream music stars have come out as gay. The country has no comprehensive anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBTQ South Koreans. There are exceptions who are starting to turn rogue but they are very few and far in between.  

Moreover, K-pop trainees are not allowed to date anyone during the teenage years when an individual has their first instance of a romantic association with someone, which sounds crueller than being confined in dancing studios for 16-17 hours a day.  

Depriving people of love means going against the basic tenet of what the big, influential K-pop groups preach. Labels worry that any relationship would make stars lose their mystique among fans. Consequently, for the major labels, public same-sex relationships appear to be out of the question. 

Selling singles is no way for a pop star or group to make money these days. Thus, obligated under contracts, the K-pop groups are forced to say yes to excruciating scheduling of concerts, world tours and public signing events.

Amidst all the chaos, they are made to work on their next album, the one after that and the one after that, and so on and so forth. As a result, most are on the edge and have a burnout rate much quicker than other artists. 

Sulli, a former member of the South Korean girl group f(x) committed suicide in 2019 after being under depression due to the glossy standards of the industry. Similarly, Kim Jonghyun, the lead singer of the popular boy band, SHINee committed suicide. 

In his suicide note, Kim spoke of how he was “broken inside” and that he “couldn’t fight it anymore”. His fans were heartbroken and blamed the over-competitiveness and pressure of the K-pop industry.

Speak Yourself?

Kim Namjoon aka RM in his famous UN speech signed off by saying “What is your name? Speak Yourself!”. Hopefully, BTS and other K-pop groups can speak themselves in the future, speak about their identities without being fearful of the record labels and help bring about the desired changes in the South Korean sweatshops of producing the next K-pop group.  

Meanwhile, those trolling and calling out the K-pop groups incessantly over the internet just because they look different and wear makeup should understand the struggles they have endured to be where they are. Cyber-bullying is harmful in any shape or form and those indulging in it are certainly not the ones the internet was meant for.