Kyung Hee University Once Again Under Suspicion Of Preferential Treatment Towards An Idol

[pearlychoco.livejournal.com]

Kyung Hee University once again is being scrutinized for possible preferential treatment.

On February 6, SBS News reported there are suspicions of an unidentified member of a popular idol group (hereafter referred to as B) receiving their master’s degree from Kyung Hee University after submitting a lackluster performance video in lieu of a thesis.

B received a Master’s Degree in Applied Music from Kyung Hee University last year, after they submitted a video of what they said was themselves singing while busking last May.

Based on their findings, SBS News reported that school regulations allow for students to substitute their graduate thesis with a solo performance. Performances must be with accompaniment, and are required to be over an hour in length. Due to strict guidelines and expenses, only three or four people have successfully graduated through this method. A graduate of the school said, “They are extremely picky, if I remember. It is to the point that not a single thing can be out of order. Busking would not be enough.”

B had performed by themselves for only 30 minutes, and passed the professor’s assement. Both the video and their performance are described to have been of significantly lesser quality than other graduation performances.

B also performed at Kyung Hee University’s Outdoor Theater, which requires prior permission. It is normally used for school events, as it can fit over 8,000 students. However, it appears that B may not have had permission to use the venue, as a source from the school stated, “There is no record of any performance. We searched last year’s [schedule] not just in May, but from April to August.” They also stated that they do not let students borrow the venue themselves for any personal events or performances.

The specific professor who assessed B’s performance has also fallen under suspicion. A faculty head responded, “I also recently learned that [said professor] was in charge of the evaluation. I don’t remember exactly, so we have to first confirm with the department if they still have the video.”

The police are currently investigating how B received their master’s degree after receiving a report about the situation. Kyung Hee University recently underwent an investigation in regards to Jung Yong Hwa’s admission to their school. In response to this latest report, the school has stated, “We are currently looking into the matter. If what has been reported is revealed to be true, we will decide based on school regulations. Because of this, we need some time to [look into the matter].”

It's being alleged that it could be Jo Kwon, but who knows

Source: Naver & SBS News via Soompi

Comments

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

i just submitted the same post, even put the idols name in spoilers lmaooo

i guess we'll soon get news of him enlisting, if this is true. to me this is even worse than yonghwa's scandal.

[pearlychoco.livejournal.com]

oh snaaaap lol

weird question: but isn't he still promoting that ballad or has it already ended?

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

did he even promote in on music shows? i cant remember seeing him perform

[pearlychoco.livejournal.com]

i just googled his song & yep, he was promoting all right lol

[sparkb.livejournal.com]

Yeah he just promote his single in music show for two weeks.

[sra-interesante.livejournal.com]

beside gdragon reports(?)

#everybodyknows this has been a thing for years ... it was never right but suddenly korean press cares enough to make articles and blind items lol

i hope idols start enlisting like any normal citizens or at least stop looking for special treatment

[tungatunga.livejournal.com]

But they are not normal citizen and the nature of their career made it hard to enlist earlier, first they have to compete for a spot to debut and after that they constantly working and under contract nonetheless so it's not like it is entirely their decision when to enlist.

[petecarl.livejournal.com]

to add on to what tungatunga said, even if an idol wanted to enlist earlier than 30, he'd be risking not only his career during his peak years, but also the careers of his fellow group members ad the agency. A lot of jobs depend on idols - all the staff - and companies need to have enough money to get their next boy group profitable before they let their older idols enlist, so of course they push it off to the last minute. It doesn't matter if they get some disgruntled comments about when they're gonna enlist, cause those people were probably never gonna be customers/fans, and people will forget about all that once the idol serves anyway (unless there's some scandal about their service, of course).

[donaldjdrumpf.livejournal.com]

Ugh people who gain advantages just because they're rich or famous are the worst.

[pearlychoco.livejournal.com]

lookwhosetalking.gif

[sparkb.livejournal.com]

Loool

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

just wanna say that i love your icon

[jaequeeragenda.livejournal.com]

oh dang, i thought this was about GD too not another idol, so dang, thats 3 now, is this the flood gates leaking before the pour? :O

[chikage-chan.livejournal.com]

All these people not taking their graduate studies seriously are pissing me off, this is something I hope they all get caught for doing.

[sparkb.livejournal.com]

Idc if theyre using study as a way to postpone enlistment but at least do it right and fair.

[rainstormraider.livejournal.com]

I thought it was GD?

Also can someone refuse to enlist because they're a pacifist or on religious grounds?

[pearlychoco.livejournal.com]

Also can someone refuse to enlist because they're a pacifist or on religious grounds?

the right of conscientious objector such as religion, freedom of thought/conscious, homosexuality (to name a few) are not recognized in SK

[anconeous.livejournal.com]

They go to jail for a while if they refuse to serve on those grounds.

[jinkiestabi.livejournal.com]

As far as I know, GD dropped out due to BB being shipped off to Japan and then started at a different school a long time ago. Don’t quote me on that, though.

[giriboy.livejournal.com]

#EverybodyKnows

kyunghee probably needs a new dean or board or something. these scandals are all really dry to me, tho: very white collar, i wonder why they've only been coming out recently

[vintage-boom.livejournal.com]

Probably because of what started with a university special treatment scandal ended up with the last SK presidents impeachment. People are paying close attention to it now.

[taengwoo.livejournal.com]

okay so this might be off topic but if someone is getting a master's in applied music why would they chose to write a thesis? im only commenting on the part where the article states "only three or four people have successfully graduated through this method"

i knew a couple of people in the music dept at my college and their graduation requirement was a solo recital. same goes with theatre majors, they had to be in a major production to graduate. but maybe im just basing it off american university standards

[madrigalpals.livejournal.com]

Most music performance degree programs in the US require a recital upon graduation, but some MM degrees allow an emphasis in musicology which could be what that's about. It gets wild with Doctoral degrees where even if you're focusing on performance you have to write a dissertation from what I understand

[mewgical.livejournal.com]

Soompi updated with this but I'm not going to bother posting it. Jo Kwon's agency is being silent it says but according to the article it says "a source from Jo Kwon’s side" says it's false. idk sounds like a friend with a bike reporting it so I'm just going to chalk it up as #fakenews until his agency or him say something.

#JoKwon (https://twitter.com/hashtag/JoKwon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)’s Side Responds To Accusations Of Getting Preferential Treatment From Kyung Hee Universityhttps://t.co/AX9Ya1bR9z (https://t.co/AX9Ya1bR9z) pic.twitter.com/xTkUJ84GrK (https://t.co/xTkUJ84GrK)

— Soompi | #SoompiAwards (@soompi) February 7, 2018 (https://twitter.com/soompi/status/961060920456654848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

[pearlychoco.livejournal.com]

a representative my butt.

i need to hear this either from Cube themselves or Jo Kwon. that's it.

[mewgical.livejournal.com]

Cube and Jo Kwon did finally release a statement. idk it feels like a lot of blah blah and I'm tired so I don't know if I caught everything. seems like Cube was saying he did enter the non thesis one, or at least he thought he did. And idk seems like they didn't deny he sent a crap tape but more that there were supposedly no regulation on the tape. Jo Kwon's whole statement made it seem like some of the professors straight out hated him. idk like I said I'm tired. Here's the tweet in case you want to post it and make sense of it.

#JoKwon (https://twitter.com/hashtag/JoKwon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Asks Why He Has Become A Sacrificial Lamb In Kyung Hee University Controversyhttps://t.co/uKthoc3HiN (https://t.co/uKthoc3HiN) pic.twitter.com/bEOAyKGXUx (https://t.co/bEOAyKGXUx)

— Soompi | #SoompiAwards (@soompi) February 7, 2018 (https://twitter.com/soompi/status/961330907599724544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

[baekpedaling.livejournal.com]

I don't want to believe this cause I really like Jo Kwon. But not because I care about college, I just don't want anything to mess up his career

[uguukawaii.livejournal.com]

Lame, grad school is hard and expensive, seeing this shit pisses me off. Imo it's kinda one thing to fudge an undergrad but something above that kinda seems way dirtier to me.

Just GO like i know civil service isn't great for their image but if youre old and dont wanna do pushups like a normal recruit there are options. I KNOW it's a hit to your career but two years isnt an insurmountable amount. Companies also need to be more willing to take a hit and debut 22 year olds who already went and came back... it's not ideal but it would avoid this kind of cringe situations entirely and would appeal to more male fans.... as it is now, guys in korea HATE GD, Yonghwa, anyone getting caught doing this shit. People love the akmu kid for being a normal young guy..

Like ethically or morally I dont agree with mandatory service, but the cultural baggage around it is complicated and the reality is you gotta go and getting caught like this is worse than taking a break from your career/dating for two years and shaving your head.

I know so many people studying at Kyunghee now I'm thinking I should be applying there since they apparently sign off on crazy shit like this all the time

[myungung.livejournal.com]

re taking older trainees, I think it would be very hard to take those who have gone for the army/civil service because there's a lot of time taken away on training and you will definitely get rusty from your skills. even athletes who have had to serve often lose out on their fitness and competitive streak.
plus, with an older more mature trainee, it's harder to break them and mould the trainee into what the company/industry wants, and therefore perhaps harder to control them? you're not as impressionable as a teenager to lap up what the company provides and the higher ups are probably not that happy to have someone who they can't mould

[uguukawaii.livejournal.com]

yeah I agree it's not really practical with the state of the industry... Ijust think in theory it would be more ethical if they DO have to go either way since it's much easier for the guys to have a normal relationship with their peers, and also easier to transition into another career field if they have their army service all lined up. I feel so bad for guys like Raehwan going into the army in their mid-20s where their peers will be guys 6 years younger and they end up taking orders from kids younger than them and in worse units because theyre older and less energetic which look worse on their resume for post-idol life. It just seems..Like on a personal level the guy would see a lot of benefit from going when other guys do rather than waiting. But you're right that its less profitable and thats why they dont.. still..

[myungung.livejournal.com]

I also feel it would do good for image wise if they went army first, Park Seojoon seems like a good example? sadly the industry would not be conducive for such a scenario, unless they were to be soloists, or even a small group (duo/trio), then it might work.
but it's definitely damaging and not good for the mental/emotional health of an idol who's going in so late. for the many positive stories that we hear (yunho, seunggi, jaejoong), there are probably countless others who have to take shit because they're an idol, and the fact that the younger ones can take advantage of the power difference (even with the age respect issue). it's a tough situation for the male idols definitely.

[daceymormont.livejournal.com]

IA, I wish more would just let their idols enlist when they're 18 and then have them debut after training for 1-2 years. 22 is still so young and there's so need to have idols debut at 16 or younger.

[apori.livejournal.com]

IA except in my experience grad school admission was so much more fraudulent (undergrad here is under a national domestic standard system and based entirely on grades).

I am constantly amazed at how badly prepared companies are at enlistment which they KNOW will happen at some point, it seems like the universal strategy is wait until the oldest turns 30 and begrudgingly comply with no actual plans for how to adjust. What's the point of having 7, 9, 10, 12 + member groups if you can't handle one or two members being gone for a while. It's amazing and ridiculous at the same time.

[daceymormont.livejournal.com]

I don't blame male celebs for going to university to postpone their enlistment, but they should care more about their studies, or at least pretend to ffs... with how competitive korea is I'd be pissed too as a ~normal citizen.

[nekobot.livejournal.com]

It's strange that there are next to no idols that have finished their service once they've debuted already considering most men are done by 21/22 at the latest. It really shows how youth obsessed the industry is because that's still a young age to start at.
There's the argument that it will interfere with their training but honestly...I feel like lots of these kids that train for half a decade are being scammed out of money anyway because it hardly ever shows in the end product at all, most of the great singers and dancers were already pretty good when they auditioned. With the insane work ethic they have going they could do more than enough with a year or even less if they're given proper lessons by actual professionals.

[bob-dabuilda.livejournal.com]

IA. Many idols still debut at 21-22 without serving and it's like why? And many of the most talented idols are great because they received training outside the company, then auditioned (Chen, Baekhyun, DO were singing before SM and each had less than 1 year of training. Kai was dancing before auditioning).

Produce 101 just showed that the trainees are told to just push out or force out notes. Or to execute choreography well enough to blend in. Some companies don't even bother with vocal training for visuals, like Hyeri, who was told to not come for vocal lessons since she slowed it down for Mina and Sojin.

[nekobot.livejournal.com]

Right? Sometimes you see kids go "I trained for 5 years!" and you're just like...where. And then on the other side there are the audition tapes of some of the idols as children doing amazing things and you're wondering how much training they would've even have needed to begin with other than some basic polishing.

I was thinking about survival shows as well, they really exposed how (in)effective the current system is - if anything they have outed the fact that you can easily bypass years of training if you do it bootcamp style (which seems to be the method most companies use anyway)

It must really suck to be cast for your face and then work yourself into thousands of debt to not even get the lessons you're technically paying for.

[bob-dabuilda.livejournal.com]

Large companies don't make the idols pay out of pocket for debt unless they break their training contracts. Thats why the income ratios are so in the favor of the company.

But I do wtf at some training systems. SM seems to have solid vocal classes since they tend to have the best idol vocalists (but even then, their best ones still had training elsewhere).

I don't know what is going on at JYP and YG since their vocalists are really subpar. I remain unimpressed with most of their acts like blackpink (I don't see the results of years of training outside of dance) and twice. At least SM manages to put in 1 good vocalist in each group.

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

this so much.

i've said it before, but trainees should not train longer than 2, max 3 years. you have trainees that trained up to 7, 8 years or even longer and yet they are mediocre at best. classical vocal training usually lasts about 4 years yet many trainees can barely hold a tune or sing in the wrong vocal range. plus companies only debut new groups every 2-3 years, why waste the time of other trainees when you just debuted a group and they wont debut in the next years. send them to the army instead.

[msgrottesca.livejournal.com]

I feel like lots of these kids that train for half a decade are being scammed out of money anyway because it hardly ever shows in the end product at all

I've more and more come to this conclusion LOL there are just soooo many Suho's out there - no shade to him but like, he trained for over seven years and is not particularly talented in any category. Below average singer, below average dancer, below average actor. He's a good public speaker but I'm willing to bet that's a natural talent just like singing and dancing were for the vocal and dance line members. It's almost condescending to the idols, imo, to chalk all of their talent or ability up to someone else's training. Like you're not giving them any credit for what they provide, you're just acting like someone else gave it to them, idk LOL.

Oh, and most of the talent we got out of P101 had... nothing to do with training! LOL the best vocalist was an independent trainee who had been singing his entire life, Ong, Daniel and Woojin have all been dancing since they were itty bitty... Taedong was one of the best dancers on the show and he ended up leaving his company because he said they didn't provide him any lessons or training or even transportation, so we know he didn't get those dance skills from them lmao. Training is amazing for fostering pre-existing talent but when that innate ability isn't there, it really can't do much.

[nekobot.livejournal.com]

Suho trained for seven years?? Omg and the poor thing is probably like...the least remarkable EXO member. And you're right, especially when I think about SM idols the ones that are standout in their given position were already pretty amazing to being with (Taemin and Kai for dance, Onew, Taeyeon for singing, etc.) and generally tend to remain the top members in their group. I still love SNSD for example but there are so many performances where you can tell the vocal carrying goes to Taeyeon and Seohyun with Tiffany doing some of the belters. And you can't blame them because popularity rankings hardly ever reflect talent level anyway.

The only company that comes to mind that might provide an example of good training is FNC as they just take the best looking trainees and teach them instruments from scratch quite successfully (which they're then not allowed to play on music shows, lol). I don't know if this is a thing because Korean kids aren't allowed that many non-school related extracurricular activities but it would be much better to let them take proper professional lessons in their chosen field on their own first instead of "training" them at an idol company from their early teens.

This all reminds me of Heechul's audition tape and how he just couldn't be arsed to get better at dancing for his own group but has a whole catalogue of perfectly executed girl group dances he can whip out at any second.

[bob-dabuilda.livejournal.com]

Celebs have all eyes on them when they serve now since the whole Se7en scandal and "celeb units," soI never understood why idol companies didn't work out "special" deal with the army for young idol trainees like they did for getting their older idols public service. Like have their 18 year old trainees go into the army, but broker deasl where they get public service/ light duty so they can still train while in the army. Their nugus as trainees so it's less likely to have their deals busted. And I believe the government is willing to do it since they give all sorts of handouts to celebs lol.

[nekobot.livejournal.com]

You also have to wonder how fit to serve these idols are by the time they finally have to go in. Just look at the IAC and how many injuries they get, plus the constant malnourishment and mental health stress, their bodies have already been put through way too much by their late twenties to ever be a decent soldier if they have a proper successful idol career. I mean T-ara were literally going bald from stress at one point.

[bob-dabuilda.livejournal.com]

Were they really losing hair? I know Chanyeol had a bald spot.

But who knows, maybe taking a break from idol life, having decent meals, a regular sleep schedule, and access to good medical treatment (both physical and mental) works for some celebs. And being older could mean they avoid some of the army hazing.

But i still wonder why some larger companies don't work out a deal for their trainees to get easier service as teens so they can still train. Maybe they dgaf because by 30, an average idol's career is past peak and they left the agency anyways.

[nekobot.livejournal.com]

Yes, Jiyeon and Hyomin said they were experiencing drastic hair loss at some point (I think they went on some sort of medical examination variety show and it came out) and I'm sure they're not the only ones. It's hard to tell with male idols if it's health related since some people just go bald early on but the stress doesn't help.

Army life is almost definitely more healthy than idol life!

I think it's because they can't guarantee that every trainee will actually debut. They're all on standby and with some companies having dozens of trainees they can't all give them a smooth enlistment because first of all every dude would want to be a trainee just to get that over with and second of all they're still obsessed with debuting them asap as young as they can (and it's true as you say, once they get old enlistment is probably an easy way to "discard:" the idols once they get to old anyway)

[bob-dabuilda.livejournal.com]

Oh lawd the typos. Oh well, can't edit now.


*They're nugus as trainees.

[jinkiestabi.livejournal.com]

While it does look bad on the idols caught, I do have to wonder what is going on with this uni considering it’s on controversy number two, and both FNC and Cube have stated there were some things not mentioned to them from the school representatives involved.

I wanna be mad because I can’t even get INTO grad school due to all of the hoops you have to jump through. Even trying to give yourself an edge is just as difficult. And here you have people who get in without having to do anything and then don’t even put their all into it. It happens so often. But tbh, I just don’t care? Not saying it’s right, but after the constant stress and disappointment I experienced from trying to further my education, I can’t even muster up the strength to be mildly irritated about all of this.