Dark side of Kpop: Idol from BTS’s label reveals physical abuse during training period

When you hear the word Kpop, you probably think of bright colours, devoted fans and catchy music.

However, this industry has a dark side that many don’t talk about. Kpop idols undergo a training period before they make their debut — a time which can be rough for many.

From harsh diets to constant surveillance, fans have been aware of the tough conditions under which their favourite artists have been trained. However, the truth has recently been revealed to be more shocking than previously thought.

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Being hit as trainees

In a recent livestream, Kpop idols Soobin and Taehyun from the group TXT (Tomorrow X Together, pronounced ‘tomorrow by together’) revealed that they had been hit as trainees. TXT is part of the same label as BTS — Hybe subsidiary Bighit Entertainment.

Soobin, 24, an idol known for his candour, went live and spoke about a time when he and bandmate Taehyun, 22, had to learn a difficult choreography, originally performed by their labelmates Seventeen. He said that the teacher who assigned the task did not teach them the dance, but asked them to learn it from videos instead. Soobin said that it was “a given” that the trainees would not be able to learn such a difficult dance with so little guidance.

At this time, Taehyun commented on the live saying that he was “hit a little less” thanks to the older trainees with them at the time.

As Kpop fans would know, it is rare to hear idols critiquing their companies outright. Idol contracts are airtight, and many have been sued for speaking out against their labels. The general culture of the industry also discourages negative talk, and paints a picture of idols and their companies as families — although this mentality appears to be changing.

On reading Taehyun’s comment, Soobin sighed and appeared to be resigned to the fact that the cat was out of the bag. He confirmed that they used to be hit as trainees, but Taehyun and Soobin escaped the worst of it because they were not the worst of the trainees present.

The revelation sent shockwaves through the fandom. Fans called it “heartbreaking” and expressed their anger at the company for allowing such abuse to take place. Some said that they were proud of the artists for talking openly about what happens to idol trainees so as to spread awareness. As Soobin mentioned in his live, they were just in grade 8 or 10 when this happened. In fact, most idol trainees are minors.

Other commenters, who claimed to be dancers, said that this kind of training was par for the course, and caused intense psychological damage — not to mention physical bruising.

Diets and surveillance

TXT is not the first group to reveal their less-than-ideal training situation.

Many groups have spoken out about the rough schedules, with trainees going to school in the mornings and then go straight to the company offices to practice dancing and singing late into the night, getting only a few hours of sleep — if that. Trainees are often at the mercy of their labels, since they need them to debut and pursue their dreams.

Fans have said that it is disheartening that this kind of training is seen as normal in the industry, a fact that probably allows idols to talk about it openly.

Trainees are also put on strict diets and are under surveillance almost constantly. BTS has mentioned in their lives many times that they cannot eat any yummy snacks kept in front of them because they are on diets. Stray Kids, a boy group under JYP Entertainment (one of the ‘big 4’ entertainment companies in South Korea), once revealed that their trainee coordinators had a surveillance monitor in their offices, with cameras placed inside the training rooms to ensure the trainees were not “slacking off”. In the video in which this was mentioned, the members said in a joking manner that there was one blind spot they identified in the room, where trainees used to keep a chair to try and nap in, or eat their snacks.

It was also revealed that Momo from Twice, a girl group under the same label as Stray Kids — and one of the most popular in South Korea and globally — was asked to just eat an ice cube when she was hungry, in order to lose weight. In fact, all the members of Twice were put on strict diets. Bang Chan, the leader of Stray Kids, who was a trainee in the same company when Twice made their debut, has said that he would order food for the girls and sneak it in for them, so that they would not get into trouble with trainers.

Better times?

Idols generally seem to have an easier time of it if their group gains success. They also have more control over their own contracts and independence. When Soobin went on a variety show recently, he said that he has the freedom to say whatever he wants despite the company’s disapproval, since the members are currently in the process of renegotiating their contracts, so they have the upper hand.

In the same live mentioned earlier, Taehyun followed up his earlier comment with another one saying that current idol trainees do not get physically hurt anymore. Soobin agreed, saying that the situation has improved, and that anyone caught physically hitting trainees would be in big trouble.

However, it is distressing to know that this treatment towards minors was normal only a few years ago — TXT made their debut in 2019.

Mental health and suicide

The mental health of Kpop idols has been under scrutiny over the past few years. Suicides of popular idols such as Jonghyun from Shinee, Sulli from f(x), Hara from Kara and Moonbin from Astro have shed light on the enormous pressure faced by idols from the public. Cyberbullying was said to be the cause of Sulli’s death, since it was revealed that in the weeks leading to her suicide, she repeatedly petitioned authorities in Seoul to take action against malicious rumours and comments online.

Sulli was an outspoken artist. She did not fit the ‘pretty and demure’ mold idols are supposed to, and was bullied relentlessly for it. Idols are supposed to be seen as near perfect humans, and are often directed by their companies not to reveal any part of their personalities that goes against the grain — including their dating lives. Idols who have dating rumours are bashed online, with the hate sometimes coming to their doorsteps in the form of angry protestors at their agency buildings. This is what happened when Chen, a member of the popular boy group Exo, revealed that he was going to get married.

Tablo, member of the hit hiphop group Epik High, was the subject of intense targeted hate around 2010 to 2012, when an online group accused him of lying about his Masters’ degree from Stanford in the US. Even after the artist posted his degree online, the group was persistent in defaming him. He revealed years later that he and his wife were stalked constantly, and that he was scared to trust the people around him, as they could have secretly been part of the group trying to orchestrate his downfall.

Even seemingly harmless ‘flaws’, such as when Suga from BTS fell off his electric scooter while drunk, invite vitriol from the public and the press. Long apology letters are common in such circumstances, showing that the idol is ultimately beholden to the public, and must act as it sees fit.

The questions of how much an idol owes the public, and how much suffering they need to go through, are important ones. These issues gain more traction as the Kpop culture shifts. International audiences mean that the industry is answerable to more people. Idols also seem to be gaining more confidence to speak out, as they receive support from international fans.

However, with the basic blueprint of idol groups and trainees being the same, it remains to be seen how much change these new revelations can bring to the Kpop world.