Superstars Around The World
The Korean band BTS has made young girls scream hysterically in Germany as well. They are superstars around the world – the most famous figurehead for Korean pop. Where thousands of young musicians hope for a breakthrough, complaints about the state of the industry are mounting.
“There aren’t many people I trust and with whom I can talk about personal matters.”
Jonghyun, the lead singer of the up-and-coming K-pop group Shinee, committed suicide in late 2017. He can no longer withstand the pressure. Lee Seok-cheol, star of the South Korean band Eastlight, doesn’t let it come to that. In October last year, he publicly made serious allegations against his agency: “Since 2015, members of Eastlight have been beaten by our producer in a practice room, he has even mistreated us on the roof with a baseball bat and a metal scrubber. And he kept threatening to kill us if we told our parents about it. “
Future plans impossible
And another reported in a documentary on the Australian broadcaster SBS: “I was jealous of my younger sister who went to a normal school. She had plans for her future, something that I never had. “
Lee Jong-im knows many of these statements. The South Korean is an expert on pop culture and has written a book about the dark side of K-pop. During her research, Lee Jong-im had the feeling that the young people were really happy to tell about their lives: “Appearance is the most important thing for K-Pop stars. So they have to go on a diet. Some of the students have reported to me that their agency or academy required a maximum weight of 50 pounds, no matter how tall they were. They had to undergo cosmetic surgery and had no private life. Your cell phones have been confiscated. “
Singles sell better
The fans make an important contribution to success. They are one reason why K-pop stars are often not allowed to have a love affair. Singles sell better. How well can be seen up close in a multi-story house in Gangnam, Seoul. SM, one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, offers all the fan articles of “its” K-Pop groups on several floors – including some from the late singer Jonghyun. Click here for the real fans stuff like Kpop Lightstick, etc.
The 20-year-old Hyeon Yeji likes the boy group NCT – “They are so pretty …” She follows her idols in the relevant social networks. She doesn’t want to trade. Hyeon Yeji, 20, student: “I feel sorry for you, because you are still young and have no free time at all, cannot sleep enough and are constantly under stress.” Like many other young women, she has a favorite in the band – and when she does who now has a girlfriend … she ponders for a long time: “I would be really devastated if he met someone, but I would still try to support him.”
Even the 23-year-old boy would not want to swap with a K-Pop star: “Oh no never!” Too little private life – that, from her point of view, she should have quiet. But there are the fans: “They are often really intrusive, secretly follow them everywhere, take photos, sometimes they even break into their house.”
A billion dollar business for the corporations
Both women regularly buy promotional items from their idols – K-Pop is a billion-dollar business for corporations and one of South Korea’s most important exports.
They are trained in the sand factory in Seoul, among other places. The private academy offers dance, singing and acting classes. In a room a young man with dyed brown hair and a ring in his ear is rehearsing a song. The academy divides its students into nine categories – the singer is more in the upper area – but one room further there is still a lot to do. A pupil should raise his knees to the rhythm of the music and move his arms – the rhythm is right, the movement is not – he should straighten his chest.
Kim Min Syk is managing director and vocal trainer at the Sandfactory: “On the one hand there is the sound of the voice. Then we also see how humorous and bright someone is. And of course the face plays an important role, even if there is nothing we can do about it, of course. “
