{"id":154968,"date":"2023-04-23T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-23T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mediaintel.asia\/?p=917183"},"modified":"2023-04-23T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-04-23T00:00:00","slug":"dark-side-of-k-pop-after-moon-bins-death-a-look-at-slave-contracts-no-dating-or-phone-clauses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/2023\/04\/23\/dark-side-of-k-pop-after-moon-bins-death-a-look-at-slave-contracts-no-dating-or-phone-clauses\/","title":{"rendered":"Dark Side of K-POP: After Moon Bin\u2019s Death, a Look at \u2018Slave Contracts, No Dating or Phone Clauses\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"MediaIntel.Asia\"<\/a><\/div>\n

K-pop star Moonbin, a member of the boy band Astro, has died, his music label and South Korean police said Thursday, prompting an outpouring of grief from fans. The 25-year-old singer was found dead at his home in southern Seoul late Wednesday, a spokesperson for the National Police Agency told AFP, adding that there was no evidence of foul play.
\nMoonbin\u2019s label Fantagio Music also released a statement on Thursday confirming his death but without disclosing the cause. \u201cOn April 19, Astro member Moon Bin unexpectedly left our world and became a star in the sky,\" it said on Twitter. It asked that people \u201crefrain from speculative and malicious reports\" so that his family can pay their respects and honour him in peace. The label\u2019s announcement prompted thousands of comments from grieving fans, many expressing disbelief.
\nSouth Korea\u2019s Yonhap News Agency, citing an unnamed police official, reported that authorities believe Moon\u2019s death is a case of apparent suicide.
\nThe Dark Side of K-pop Industry
\nBeneath the glitz and glamour, the K-pop industry is also known for its cut-throat competition, a lack of privacy, online bullying and relentless public pressure to maintain a wholesome image at all times and at any cost, AFP says in its report.
\nAnd according to the Diplomat, \u2018while the K-Wave promotes South Korea and provides a platform for its cultural influence on the world, this attention is tainted by tragedy. The report argues that K-pop agencies must be held accountable for abuse, suicide, slave labour agreements, demanding training schedules, \u201cno dating\" conditions, sexual assault, and sexualization of youngsters. The K-pop business as a whole is built on fragile pillars, despite certain groups\u2019 efforts to project an antifragile image, it says.
\nWhat is K-Pop and Slave Labour Contracts?
\nBefore Lee Soo-man formed SM Entertainment in 1996, the \u2018popular music industry\u2019 already existed in South Korea. However, Lee\u2019s influence on the music business effectively gave rise to modern K-pop, ushering in a new generation of idols who would go on to rule the regional and ultimately global markets, Meaww explains in its report.
\nLee developed a straightforward strategy that involved talent spotting, early training, and debuting as a member of an idol group that reflected the times. Seo Taiji and Boys, widely regarded as the original K-pop idol group and the driving force behind a change in the nation\u2019s censorship regulations, served as an inspiration for the first generation of K-pop artists.
\nAs K-pop gained popularity, additional labels emerged. The \u2018Big Three\u2019 of SM, JYP, and YG, however, were able to coast along because of the profits its top artists were taking in, whilst smaller companies found it much harder to break even, Meaww reports. The majority of labels used a system where, if their work started making money, idols would have to pay back the cost of their training, which included singing, dance, and language courses in addition to living expenses.
\nThey would also be asked to sign contracts that stated they were to allow their labels to regulate everything from their diets to their relationships and social life in order to uphold the \u2018image\u2019 of the label as well as the character painstakingly crafted for each idol. Aspiring idols who were eager to fulfil their aspirations would frequently end up signing agreements of this kind when they were just 12 or 13 years old, with the agreements themselves lasting 10 or more years. This arrangement became known as a \u201cslave contract.\"
\nAccording to ED Times, these arrangements are inherently exploitative in nature as idols are bound by these contracts to keep a specific weight, wear specific attire, and always appear flawless.
\n\u2018No Dating Clauses\u2019
\nThe South China Morning Post reports that male and female trainees are kept strictly apart by K-pop agencies in order to \u201cprevent any danger of the biggest teenage distraction of all, romance, coming in the way of their professional practice.\"
\nMale and female trainees weren\u2019t even permitted to look at each other or say hello, let alone be in the same room, according to Blackpink\u2019s Ros\u00e9, who made the revelation on the chat show Radio Star in 2017. In order to accomplish that, alternate dining times would be set up, and the managers of the females would keep a close eye out to make sure no boys were hanging out, or even obstruct the view of any male coming through. The report explains that once a band makes its debut, the regulations become more lenient and musical collaborations are welcomed.
\nThe company that represents Twice and Got7, JYP Entertainment, is well known for upholding a stringent no-dating policy until three years after a singer first becomes well-known. \u201cAfter the debut, I advise them to not meet friends and only stay focused on practising for three years,\" founder Park Jin-young wrote on Twitter. He clarified the regulation in an interview from 2015 by stating, \u201cIt\u2019s only for three years. They may then invite their boyfriends home, and I will pay for dinner.\"
\nThe three-year countdown is frequently brought up, and JYP idols are frequently questioned about how many months are remaining before the end of their third year.
\nNo Phones?
\nAs per SCMP, many K-pop stars have claimed so far that they are frequently only given access to their personal phones after achieving first position in a music competition.
\nThe girl group GFriend said in 2016 on the programme Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend that they only recently acquired personal phones after winning a music competition. Tiffany Young, a former member of SNSD who is currently working alone, also revealed on the Zach Sang Show in 2018 that none of the other members had smartphones when the project first began, so she had to step outside to a phone booth to call her parents in the US from abroad.
\nMental Health Issues
\nThe word \u201cidol\" is defined as \u201cthe image of a god\" and is used to describe well-known K-pop performers in South Korea. Even though it may sound glamorous, this moniker is somewhat of a curse for artists, explains a report by Creatrip. Why? Considering that the general people and the media hold them to standards that only actual deities could meet.
\nThe almost inhuman idols - from no dating clauses, to physical and mental antifragility often result in mental health problems for trainees and idols. Not being able to live up to these expectations have also resulted in cases of cyber harassment and bullying.
\nThe media and the general public frequently seize upon images of idols standing on one leg or making a sour face and circulate them, stating that this is evidence that the idols have a \u201cattitude problem\". As a result, idols grow accustomed to holding their emotions inside, which frequently leaves them feeling anxious.
\nThe K-Pop Suicides
\nSeveral other young K-pop stars have died of suspected suicides in recent years, including Goo Hara who passed in 2019. She had been abused by an ex-boyfriend who, after they split, blackmailed her over their sex videos.
\nThe suspected suicide occurred a month after her close friend, K-pop star Sulli, took her own life after a long struggle with online bullying, prompting demands in South Korea for stronger punishments for cybercrimes.
\nSulli\u2019s death echoed that of fellow K-pop star Jonghyun, who took his life in 2017 after battling depression.
\nEntertainment reporter Kim Dae-O, who has reported on 30 such suicides, writes for the Guardian, \u201cthe South Korea\u2019s entertainment industry itself has to bear a lot of the responsibility. It treats celebrities as commodities from whom a few powerful agencies can squeeze as much income in as short a time as possible. Many celebrities are spotted as children and are not taught valuable life skills, only how to sing and dance. The situation is worse for female celebrities, with the public more interested in every salacious detail of their lives.\"
\nRemembering Moon Bin
\nMoon Bin \u2014 who performed as Moonbin \u2014 was a member of the group Astro and also performed with a sub-group called Moonbin & Sanha. He joined Fantagio\u2019s trainee programme at an early age and was an actor and child model before debuting with Astro in February 2016.
\nPrior to his passing, Moonbin & Sanha had been set to perform at the upcoming Dream Concert \u2014 one of the largest K-pop joint concerts in South Korea \u2014 in May.
\nThe group had also been in the middle of their Diffusion Fan Con Tour across Asia, and had launched an official fan community page on Weverse \u2014 the global fandom platform from K-pop megastars BTS\u2019s agency HYBE \u2014 recently.
\nWe will never forget you, MOON BIN ️ pic.twitter.com\/q7stSZmiCK\u2014 eunwoo.o_c (@ArohaIczy) April 22, 2023
\n\u201cWhile no passing from any artist is ever to be expected, Moonbin\u2019s untimely passing was all the more shocking given how active the young star was, even the week of his death,\" Jeff Benjamin, Billboard\u2019s K-pop columnist, told AFP.
\n\u201cNo one around him saw this coming, but what we can keep is his undeniable smile,\" he added.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve seen its brightness compared to the Cheshire Cat from \u2018Alice and Wonderland\u2019, and the wonderful music and performances he gave us.\"
\n\u201cIt\u2019s always the people who smile the most who suffer the greatest,\" one of Moon\u2019s fans wrote.
\n\u201cWhen the sky shines beautifully we\u2019ll think of you and when the stars shine bright we will think of you.\"
\nThis news piece may be triggering. If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata)
\nWith inputs from AFP
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This data comes from MediaIntel.Asia's Media Intelligence and Media Monitoring Platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

K-pop star Moonbin, a member of the boy band Astro, has died, his music label and South Korean police said Thursday, prompting an outpouring of grief from fans. The 25-year-old singer was found dead at his home in southern Seoul late Wednesday, a spok…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":253,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[928,144,325,288,194,1108,465,615,1242],"tags":[3610,2274,10315,10325,8864,10349],"class_list":["post-154968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-censorship","category-china","category-education","category-medicine","category-news-chinese-law","category-police","category-social-media","category-south-korea","category-twitter","tag-diplomacy","tag-entertainment","tag-media-intelligence","tag-new-delhi","tag-news-media","tag-peace"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/253"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154968"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":154969,"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154968\/revisions\/154969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}