breaking down mistreatment in the kpop industryK-pop (Korean Popular) has broken out of the East Asian market and into the world with their music and film talent. Similar to American Pop culture, they have music shows, talk shows, and comedy sit-coms. In the K-pop community, artists are referred to as idols and are admired by thousands of fans. These idols are on a pedestal, rivaling politicians in terms of influence because they are well-loved by the public for their squeaky clean images set by the company. With years of investments into trainees to hopefully one day debut, these idols are often objectified by their companies to maintain a perfect image and be a crowd pleaser. With this type of culture, it has sometimes led fans to cross boundaries and forget that their idols are also human. These people are called “sasaengs”. In the upcoming blogs, we are going to discuss scandals, harassment, sexualization, and sexism in K-pop. The way we view K-pop in America is one that reflects thinly veiled orientalism. When K-pop scandals occur, viewers and listeners around the world find it difficult to confront the true realities of K-pop. They don’t want to admit that they themselves are complicit in all this craze. Viewers want the glory of K-pop--the attractive artists, the concerts, and the merchandise--but they don’t want to engage in topics that are harder to digest, dubbed the “dark” side of K-pop. Idols are recruited and trained from a very young age, taken away from their families and any lives that they knew previously. They enter a boarding school program by entertainment companies, such as SM Entertainment, JYP, or YG Entertainment where groups like BlackPink and BIGBANG originated from; then expected to perform with long, grueling practices, strict rules, and excessive diets. Executives routinely judge and evaluate their performances, which lead the trainees to have negative self-esteem issues and depend on much older adults (generally men) for validation. This is especially important as it contributes to toxic masculinity in young male K-pop trainees and internalized sexism for young girls in K-pop. Executives make every final decision on forming groups and the types of music that they will produce, planning out tours, press conferences, and debuts to fit the narrative of K-pop.
In January of 2019, a scandal arose called Burning Suns, a Seoul nightclub reported to be involved in sex trafficking, date rape, spy camera recordings, and bribery. It began when Kim Sang Kyo claimed to be beaten by guards after trying to stop a sexual assault from happening on an online forum. That post went viral in January and prompted a police investigation. What shocked most people was that Seungri, a prominent and influential singer-composer, and several other idols were involved as the owners of the club. In late January, a South Korean news outlet published text messages allegedly from Seungri, asking staff to hire prostitutes for investors and revealed that several other K-pop celebrities were all in the same private message group chat--some even discussing raping women at the club. As mentioned earlier, the aura of innocence the K-pop industry once had, shattered and was revealed merely as an illusion. Despite a police investigation, it was revealed that the police had dismissed Kim’s reports and accepted an explanation from the club instead. They then accused Kim of engaging in the sexual harassment himself which he denied. As these scandals of sexual violence and police bribery continued to unfold, it led to Moon Jae-in, the president of South Korea, to open a thorough investigation into Burning Sun, police force, and other alleged crimes that go way back to the Park Geun-Hye (former president of South Korea) administration (she sparked millions to protest against her administration) involving the justice minister, Kim Hak-eui in 2013. He said, “If we fail to clarify the truth behind the cases that occurred within the privileged class, we will not be able to talk of a righteous society.” Women are often too afraid to come forward out of shame and fear of judgment. There exists the idea that idols are supposed to be “innocent and kind”, which shields idols from accusations of crime and misconduct. It is often misunderstood the boundaries of loving/admiring someone to obsession/stalking. Idols are required to provide fan service such as taking pictures with their fans, sharing their daily life, and sometimes greeting them in public. However, some people have crossed the line into harassment. It should be made clear that there are no excuses and explanations for harassment towards anyone. Common instances have included breaking into idol’s homes, invasion of privacy in public bathrooms, and even selling private information that would endanger the lives of people. In 2014, a post circulated through the internet supposedly selling EXO’s D.O.’s underwear. The user stated, “I am selling Do Kyung Soo‘s (D.O) underwear, I went to their dorms myself and got it. It was really hard to get it. I’m thinking of around 10.0. You don’t believe me? There’s a few hairs on the underwear so you can check the DNA. I also have his socks. Don’t criticize or attack me.” The post also included a picture of male underwear. It is mindblowing to me that this event occurred. Trespassing, stealing, and invasion of privacy is just the tip of the iceberg. No one deserves to have their home invaded because of their work/career. There have been extreme instances of sexual harassment to idols such as when 2PM Taecyeon recieved a letter with period blood writing and pubic hair. The note reading: You can’t live without me. Another recent incident included TWICE Nayeon and Josh, a stalker. Josh’s obsession with the idol is extremely appalling as he has documented his behavior in following the group from public to private places, and eventually finding the girl’s plane information to “confess” his “love” to her. Fortunately, Nayeon’s security guards were able to handle the situation and thwart his plan. She and her members are now under police protection. There have even been more extreme versions of stalking when it comes to sasaengs placing hidden cameras in hotels rumored to house K-pop idols! During an overseas tour, Suho (from EXO) spotted one of the cameras in the gym that sasaengs had set up over the hotel when working out and proceeded to cover his face and quickly exit the gym, horrified over this privacy breach. Fans also managed to set up hidden cameras inside Luhan’s (former EXO member) room, while he was getting his make-up done. Sasaengs released these pictures all over social media, infringing on his basic right to privacy. From the Burning Sun scandal to stalking and harassment, it’s clear there is a problem of sexual violence and privacy infringement in the K-pop industry, but there has been headway to taking a step in the right direction! South Korea has passed laws to ensure teen idols will not be coerced into dangerous situations such as wearing hyper-sexualizing costumes or acting out sexualizing scenes. In addition to this, laws have been passed that limit the hours minors can work, to avoid late hours so they can be safe, healthy, and mentally healthy. We should want the best for K-pop idols as they have helped create a community that is grounded in diverse music, popular culture, and passionate,loving fans. Not only has K-pop become the center of pop culture in Asia, but it has expanded its reach and is celebrated worldwide!
35 Comments
8/4/2022 03:59:28 am
Edirne baymak servisi hizmetlerimiz memnuniyet odaklıdır. Detayları incelemek için hemen web adresimize göz at! https://www.edirneklimaservisi.com/edirne-baymak-servisi/
Reply
9/5/2022 07:47:28 am
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://freecodezilla.net/woocommerce-subscriptions-free-download-nulled/
Reply
9/12/2022 02:10:03 am
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://odemebozdurma.com/
Reply
9/30/2022 10:50:40 am
It's great to have this type of content. Good luck with your spirit. Thank you. https://bit.ly/site-kurma
Reply
10/4/2022 04:53:45 pm
I think this post is useful for people. It has been very useful for me. Looking forward to the next one, thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/istanbul-escort/catalca-escort/
Reply
10/5/2022 12:10:04 pm
It was a post that I found very successful. Good luck to you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/aydin-escort/burhankent-escort/
Reply
10/6/2022 03:53:29 am
I follow your posts closely. I can find it thanks to your reliable share. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/ankara-escort/kizilcahamam-escort/
Reply
10/7/2022 05:34:57 am
I think the content is at a successful level. It adds enough information. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/konya-escort/meram-escort/
Reply
10/8/2022 06:19:03 am
Thoughtful and real content is shared. Thank you for these shares. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/osmaniye-escort/
Reply
11/10/2022 11:33:56 am
internet Sitemizi ziyaret et: https://taksikenti.com/taksi/
Reply
11/11/2022 02:21:24 am
internet Sitemizi avrupa korsan taksi ziyaret et: https://taksikenti.com/taksi/istanbul-avrupa-yakasi-korsan-taksi/
Reply
11/21/2022 05:01:28 am
Sitemizi ziyaret et ve evden is imkanina bak: https://sites.google.com/view/evden-ek-is/
Reply
12/9/2022 05:39:58 am
Tiktok takipçi satın almak için tıkla: https://takipcialdim.com/tiktok-takipci-satin-al/
Reply
12/9/2022 05:46:06 am
instagram beğeni satın al: https://takipcialdim.com/instagram-begeni-satin-al/
Reply
12/15/2022 05:18:29 am
takipçi satın al ve sitemizi ziyaret et: https://takipcim.com.tr/
Reply
1/4/2023 07:05:24 pm
100 tl deneme bonusu veren siteleri öğrenmek istiyorsan tıkla.
Reply
4/27/2023 03:49:32 pm
Boldenon Satın Al: Anabolic Kapında boldenon çeşitleri
Reply
4/27/2023 05:20:26 pm
Anabolik Steroid Satın Al: https://www.anabolickapinda14.com/urun/
Reply
8/9/2023 06:59:35 am
Steroid Siparis Steroid Fiyatlari Steroidler Anabolizan Orjinal Steroid Steroid Satis Steroid Satın Al Steroid Siparis Et
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Year ARchive
February 2023
|