K-pop idols are speaking up about toxic environments. Is this a sign of change?
From Seventeen's Seungkwan to Hanni from NewJeans, how performers are taking control of their narrative
On Sunday, I had the joyful experience of spending the evening with my friends at the Seventeen concert in New York.
Though less than 24 hours later, Seungkwan, a member of Seventeen, delivered an honest and heartbreaking Instagram post about the pressures faced by K-pop idols and the toxic culture within the industry.
“I don’t want to see people hurting each other anymore,” he wrote.
It was a particularly striking moment.
That’s because earlier that week, thousands of pages of internal documents from HYBE were made public following a court hearing in late October.
Seungkwan’s label, Pledis Entertainment, is a subsidiary of HYBE.
According to multiple reports, those HYBE documents contained comments about K-pop idols’ physical appearances, skills and popularity from other companies. Some of what was written were blunt critiques, commenting on a performer’s plastic surgery or their level of attractiveness.
As for HYBE’s part, the company’s CEO Lee Jae-Sang has since shared a public apology, saying that the “document was created as part of a process to retrospectively gather various reactions and public opinions on industry trends and issues.” He added that the pages were meant only for a “limited number of leaders”, and acknowledged the comments were “highly inappropriate.”
This news is just the latest of what has been quite a bad public relations year for HYBE.
It would be easy as an artist stuck in between to keep quiet and continue doing the work. But in a rare move instead, Seungkwan spoke up.
“I feel that I can no longer stay silent for all my colleagues who are working hard even at this moment, my fans, my members, my people who are getting hurt,” he wrote in the post.
“You don’t have the right to easily intrude on our narrative. Not just us, but other artists as well, we are not your items. I hope you don’t think you can use and enjoy us as you please.”
Reading his post, I could not help but think about the pain and anger that Seungkwan must have been feeling while performing for the thousands watching at UBS Arena.
To me, Seungkwan’s post is a plea for people to treat others with more kindness and respect. It’s a simple message. Yet, in an industry and culture that has often pushed idols to silence and discouraged them from speaking their minds, Seungkwan’s message is courageous. After all, he would know best. Just last year, his close friend Moonbin (from the group ASTRO) died suddenly at the age of 25.
Seungkwan’s post has had me thinking about the agency idols have in the industry all week. With nearly 10 years in his career, he is at a point now where he can take control of his narrative and speak his mind. Idols young in their careers may not have the same freedom to do so.
Yet as we’ve seen in recent months and years, performers with much less power are starting to speak up more. One such example is Hanni from NewJeans, who testified at the National Assembly of South Korea on workplace harassment on October 15.
In a moment of rare emotional honesty, Hanni shared she had felt undermined by her company’s management. In one example, she recalled a manager instructing another K-pop group to “ignore her like you don’t see her.”
Hanni’s appearance at the National Assembly was not mandatory, yet she went at risk of her own young career to call for better artist protections.
“Respect each other as human beings,” she said, at one point even breaking into tears.
The story has made the rounds across the world. Many called Hanni “brave”, while a few others online have said she should have kept her mouth shut. But Hanni has remained firm in why she appeared at the National Assembly. “I hope trainees don’t suffer these incidents and that’s why I decided to appear,” she said.
For years, many fans have long called for the the K-pop industry to do better by its artists. Though while some progress has been made around artist rights, it has been slow moving.
In October, Seunghan, a former member of RIIZE, left his group permanently after funeral wreaths were sent to SM Entertainment protesting his return. It took two days after Seunghan’s departure for SM to do anything in response. In a statement, the company threatened legal action against malicious posts and defamation against RIIZE and Seunghan. Many criticized SM for failing to do more to protect Seunghan’s mental and physical well-being.
We’ve also seen other instances of artists speaking out about treatment with their companies, then penalized for their actions. FIFTY FIFTY made headlines in 2023 after former members of the group were embroiled in a legal dispute over exclusive contracts. Those members—Sio, Saena, Aran—lost their battle and are now forced to start anew. Meanwhile, the trio’s former member Kaena, has decided to stay on in FIFTY FIFTY, and the group has since decided to debut four new members.
Watching from the sidelines, it can be stressful as a fan to see their favourite groups going through such hardships. It breaks the fantasy of the perfect worlds their acts are supposed to exist in.
But while fandom itself can be a double-edged sword, it’s been heartening to see people wielding the power they do have to voice their thoughts on the K-pop industry.
Many fans have described 2024 as the worst year in K-pop. But let’s not kid ourselves that questionable things haven’t been happening for years. It’s just that more eyes are on the industry now. However, I truly believe that it has to get worse in order for things to get better.
At the end of the day, Hanni and Seungkwan’s words may not do much to overhaul the K-pop industry. But one can hope that it can encourage others to speak out as well. Down the line, it may even lead to something positive for all artists in the K-pop industry.
What I’ve been up to
I’ve been meaning to write much more positive things about the Seventeen concert this week, but it will have to be postponed to a later date. My trip to New York was a blast, and seeing Seventeen again is always such a joy.
See me elsewhere!
I am late to the train, but XDINARY HEROES is making some of the most interesting music in the K-rock scene right now. I got to speak with the group about embarking on the ambitious Xperiment Project, their new album LIVE and FALL and their dynamic together as a band.
Read the piece here!
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Accountability is important to me, so please address corrections and concerns by sending me an email at bunnipopnewsletter@gmail.com. Continue the conversation by following bunni pop on Instagram and Threads.
What a lovely read! Completely agree with everything you said. I was at the Friday NY show as well and had a wonderful time.