25th January 2021
Most people’s first and only exposure to K-pop –South Korea’s unique genre of popular music– came in the form of the hit song “Gangnam Style”, released in 2012 by Korean artist Park Jae-sang, known professionally as Psy.
The humorous music video, along with the catchy tune and dance moves quickly captured the attention of the entire world, reaching the then-unprecedented milestone of 1 billion YouTube views in under 2 months, and launching the previously unknown South Korean singer into a level of stardom that saw him top music charts in over 30 countries worldwide.
But while Psy may still be the most recognizable face in K-pop to date, an average-looking, easy-going, middle-aged man is in no way a fitting representative of an industry that has conquered the music world by putting enormous pressure on its talents to maintain the highest standards of appearance and conduct, which led to several of these artists committing the tragic act of taking their own lives.
A thriving industry with a global reach
The success of K-pop bands is no longer limited to South Korea and other neighboring countries that share similar cultural aspects; the K-pop fever has made its way to the West, and groups that have emerged within the last decade consistently release viral music videos that rival the success of established western singers in terms of views on YouTube and other platforms.
The two most notable examples of groups that have undoubtedly reached the status of global superstars are the seven-member boy band “BTS”, also known as “The Bangtan Boys”, and the four-member girl group “Blackpink”.
Granted, these two names may not be as recognizable in Western countries and within older age demographics as the likes of “Beyoncé” or “Justin Bieber”, but they do boast millions of dedicated fans from all over the world nonetheless.
The Bangtan Boys, in particular, are not just the undisputed kings of modern-day Korean music, but they currently hold the title of the most popular boy band worldwide.
The group’s meteoric rise to prominence has put them in the same conversation as some of the most successful music bands of all time.
In 2019, three albums released by BTS reached the top of the US Billboard charts within the same year, an achievement previously reserved for two legendary bands: The Beatles and The Monkees.
The group also holds the record for the fasted music video to hit 100 million views on YouTube with the song “Dynamite”, ” released on August 20, 2020.
The incredible milestone, which was achieved in less than 24 hours, was publicly acknowledged by South Korea’s President Moon Jae In, who commended the seven members on their “outstanding performance”, yet another display of the power of K-pop and its ability to put an entire nation off the map.
And the record-breaking does not stop there.
On June 14, 2020, the South Korean boy band sensation hosted “Bang Bang Con: The Live”, a 90-minute virtual concert that sold a whopping 756,600 tickets and thus became the largest-ever-attended online event to date.
This historic accomplishment brought impressive financial gains, with the concert reportedly yielding $20 million in profit.
But for Big Hit Entertainment — the record label representing the seven young men– the figure is a simple drop in the bucket compared to the several billions of dollars that the company is valued at thanks to the group’s success.
The astounding global reach that BTS and other K-pop groups have had in recent years did not come about by mere chance; it is the direct result of a well-crafted marketing strategy devised by an industry that purposefully designs its product to attract the most customers.
In fact, Korean Pop, contrary to what the name implies, does not root itself in its Korean origins nor does it target a specific race, ethnicity, or creed.
Instead, it employs culturally vague themes and adheres to generic standards that people from different nationalities can relate to and find accessible; from incorporating English lyrics in most of the songs to releasing different versions of the same song in different countries like BTS does in Japan, it seems like artistic vision takes a backseat to the higher purpose of satisfying the needs of the music market.
The devotion to captivating an international audience goes as far as to factor in the selection process of certain groups’ members.
For instance, three out of the four artists who make up Blackpink previously lived outside of Korea; Rosé and Jennie were raised in New Zealand and Australia while Lisa originates from Thailand, and these attributes played a part in getting them picked by YG Entertainment, the record label that put the group together in 2016.
The ruthless process of producing K-pop idols
While having foreign connections may bolster the chances of aspiring Korean artists to cultivate an international fan base, it is far from being the only factor necessary to succeed in an industry where the emergence of superstars resembles a manufacturing line more than it does the discovery of genuine artistic talent.
In fact, the process of cultivating future K-Pop idols starts at a very young age: Companies such as SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and YG Entertainment—three of the biggest names in the Korean entertainment business—start holding extensive auditions where teenagers between 12 and 19 are recruited as potential members of future boy-or-girl bands.
This was the exact formula that ultimately gave birth to Blackpink, a testament to how influential early recruitment has been in shaping the next generation of global superstars.
It all started when ten young girls joined YG Entertainment as trainees in 2011. Four of them went on to form the prominent girl group in 2016, a whole five years later.
Indeed, for the initially chosen candidates, the path towards making it onto the music scene is just beginning; these youngsters have to go through years of rigorous vocal and dance training and are subjected to changes in their appearance and physical shape meant to make them more attractive and appealing to fans.
They have to endure, among other things, constant monitoring of their weight, which they are forced to keep below a certain level.
In addition, K-Pop trainees are required to cultivate a following on social media from the early stages of their career, and this initial fame is often exploited by their music company to earn profits by making the artists promote commercial products such as clothes and cosmetics.
While this would be an acceptable practice if the young talents were properly compensated for their time and effort, it is often not the case.
Instead, many aspiring singers find themselves bound by exploitative contracts that rarely result in actual fame; some entertainment companies have even faced legal consequences for the abuse they inflicted on their protégés.
The deadly price of fame
Contrary to what it may seem, the life of a K-Pop idol does not get any easier once they finish their training and achieve the level of celebrity coveted by every aspiring singer.
In fact, one could argue that the amount of emotional suffering and abuse that these artists are subject to once they become well-established names in Korea is even more damaging than the harsh training process that at least temporarily shelters them from the spotlight.
The struggles come mainly in the form of relentless public scrutiny, where the personal lives of these famous figures are constantly being examined with a fine-tooth comb, and private details are often published and criticized by countless people on social media.
This cyberbullying is aimed especially towards female singers who are expected to follow the surprisingly conservative norms of South Korean society and are maligned if they fail to do so.
As a result, women in the male-controlled K-Pop industry are pressured to keep many aspects of their lives secret and to maintain a flawless public image both in terms of appearance and conduct.
This has led to practices like hiding the identities of their romantic partners or going through plastic surgeries becoming more and more common among K-Pop artists.
After all, an idol lives and dies by their reputation, and the slightest controversy could deal a fatal blow to a celebrity’s career in South Korea.
The constant pressure exerted on these young adults and the emotional pain they have to endure from both the industry and the public has led several K-Pop idols in recent years to carry out the regrettable act of taking their own lives.
This includes actress Jang Ja-Yeon who in 2009 committed suicide at the age of 27, leaving behind a note that detailed the abuse she had suffered from her manager who went as far as to force her to engage in sexual acts with his business partners.
While this horrible event did trigger an investigation that resulted in the manager being convicted for his crime, Korean media remains hesitant to criticize the country’s entertainment industry and its wrongdoings.
Another Korean female celebrity who took her own life is singer and actress Choi Jin-ri, better known by her stage name Sulli.
The 25-year-old, who was found dead in her apartment in October 2019, had experienced an excessive amount of bullying online due to her vocal support of feminism and her outfits that were deemed too revealing.
An equally tragic incident took place only a month later; singer and actress Goo Hara, who was both a friend of Sulli’s and a member of a K-Pop group herself, committed suicide in November 2019.
This came on the back of a previous attempt by the 28-years-old to end her own life, which took place in May of the same year and resulted in her hospitalization.
Aside from being yet another victim of cyber harassment, Goo’s private life was torn apart by South Korean tabloids after her former boyfriend threatened to release an intimate video that featured the two of them together.
The scandal not only caused her to be on the receiving end of online shaming for daring to file a police report, but it also went as far as to jeopardize her career, with her record label refusing to renew her contract during the unfolding of the events.
Prior to her self-inflicted demise, the young woman had spoken on television about the difficulties faced by Korean female celebrities:
“We have to be careful of every step we take in life and we suffer from a grief we can’t even share with our friends or families. “
As if the trend was not clear enough, 27-year-old singer and actor Cha In-ha was found dead in his home less than two weeks after Goo Hara’s passing.
Unlike the previous cases, the details of this incident were not disclosed to the public.
Another high-profile K-pop singer whose life was unexpectedly cut short at 27 is Jonghyun, the lead singer of the K-Pop group Shinee whose body was discovered in December 2017.
There was, however, no doubt about the cause of death in this case, as the victim left behind a heartbreaking suicide note describing the psychological pain that he had been struggling with: “I am broken from inside. The depression that gnawed on me slowly has finally engulfed me entirely.”
Who could have imagined that artists who look so cheerful and lively on stage and in music videos could be dealing with such deep emotional struggles?
After all, the positive aspect of K-pop has helped it tremendously to distinguish itself from other music genres and enjoy a rapidly-increasing global demand.
But this industry, which focuses only on profit, partly mistreats its talents, gives them no support to overcome their mental problems, and sometimes robs them of their will to live, should today rather than tomorrow change the way their artists are treated.
