Questions remain over young K-pop idols’ conditions

[ashiva.livejournal.com]

Girl group KARA, who were once embroiled in a dispute with their management agency over a contract, performs at the 2011 Korean Music Wave Festival at the Incheon Munhak Stadium on Aug. 13.

Sexual overtones, lack of diversity among challenges to overcome

Since the Korean pop music idol group’ concerts in June in Paris, the K-pop industry is leading a second Korean Wave around the globe. This is the last installment of the two-part series of articles looks at the bright and dark sides of K-pop, respectively. ― Ed.

The K-pop boom and the popularity of Korean idols are often attributed to Korean entertainment agencies’ tough training that nurtures talented aspirants and turns them into global idol stars.

However, what one person might see as “passion and devotion” for practicing singing and dancing for long hours every day can be viewed by another as “exploitation” of young aspirants by management agencies.

As more K-pop idol groups perform overseas and become exposed to the international entertainment business, hidden sides of the K-pop in terms of harsh labor conditions will surface, one critic said.

“When they (Korean idols) go overseas, the first thing they will see is the different perspectives on their work. Those considered as a typical practices in Korea are not really typical practices overseas. If your contract says you’ll work only eight hours a day, you don’t work longer than that overseas,” pop music critic Cha Woo-jin said.

“In Korea, part-timers in the entertainment industry work as if they were ‘volunteering.’ They often travel to remote areas and stay the night frequently without extra pay. But in advanced countries, employers’ contracts with part-timers are strictly adhered to. Otherwise, employers can be sued and fined.”

The tight performance schedule of Girls’ Generation in June led many fans of the girl group and Internet users to wonder how the group managed to cope.

According to the official schedule disclosed on the group’s website, Girls’ Generation’s concerts and entertainment activities were as follows: “MJ presents special” on June 8; “Samsung Taiwan Anniversary” on June 9; “SM Town in Paris” on June 10-11; “NHK Music Japan” on June 12; a five-day break; “Japan Arena Tour” in Tokyo on June 17-18; “MTV VMAJ Fan Meeting” in Chiba on June 25 and another “Japan Arena Tour” in Tokyo on June 28-29. The nine members of the girl group have not complained about the schedule, though.

The tight schedule for performances and events was the major cause for former TVXQ members taking legal action against S.M. Entertainment. Junsu, Yuchun and Jejung ― who later split off to form JYJ ― had claimed in a 2009 lawsuit that they were forced to perform too many shows under an excessively long 13-year contract.

An entertainment industry insider, however, asked why people think training an athlete and training a singer are different.

“Korean people don’t raise issues with tough training and long workout hours of a national sports star striving for a gold medal. Why can’t K-pop stars be regarded as the same?” said an industry insider who requested anonymity.

“The hard and tough training system is the driving force of the K-pop boom.”

Sexualizing K-pop teens is another frequently raised issue.

Kim Su-a said in her book “Idol: Culture Report on Idols from H.O.T. to Girls’ Generation,” that Korean male fans of girl groups call themselves “samchon fan” (uncle fan) to justify sexualizing teen idols.

“Setting a family-like relationship with the idols effectively blocks criticism that they love them because they want to actually touch and hold them,” the writer said.

Will Cote, a 28-year-old lecturer at Sungkyul University, raised issues with what the expatriate called the “superficial appearances and robotic dances” of the K-pop idol groups.

“Why I’m not interested in K-pop? I don’t like the sexual overtones in it. I don’t like the dancing,” Cote said.

“To me, it sounds all the same and pretty superficial.”

He added that K-pop bands seemed to have been created by entertainment agencies to make money and that they only appeal to teenage groups.

“I’d rather call trot music more Korean. It’s old-fashioned but I like music to have deeper meanings to it,” he said.

Lack of diversity in terms of musical genre is another challenge that K-pop needs to overcome, experts say. When people refer to K-pop, the music of indie bands, folk singers and rock groups is still excluded from the discussion.

Although there were some bands holding a showcase in Japan or in Southeast Asia recently, the proportion of such rock bands is only a fraction of K-pop idol groups who have a strong impact and presence in the global market.

On the Gaon Chart, the national Korean pop chart, almost half of the top 100 songs in July were by idol groups. The rest were either cover versions featured in the MBC reality show “I Am a Singer” or songs co-produced by hosts of the MBC program “Infinite Challenge.”

In terms of indie or rock music, only three songs by indie band 10 cm were on the list but that was because the group was featured in the MBC program “Infinite Challenge.”

Source: Kim Yoon-mi @ The Korea Herald

Comments

[mei-zi.livejournal.com]

When people refer to K-pop, the music of indie bands, folk singers and rock groups is still excluded from the discussion.

sad but true :c it's disappointing because there are some k-indie bands out there that i rly love

[askbask.livejournal.com]

The journalist should've stuck with the important topic of fair contracts and pressed harder on that instead of bringing up quality of music and nonsense quotes from people who seem to lack any sort of insight, like this chump: “I’d rather call trot music more Korean. It’s old-fashioned but I like music to have deeper meanings to it,”

[a-cheshire-grin.livejournal.com]

Erm...I also like songs, which have a deeper meaning! And I can't find any deeper meaning in songs from "Girls' Generation", "Super Junior", "Shinee",...

Their music is entertaining, yes, but FAR from quality music!

[a-cheshire-grin.livejournal.com]

“Why I’m not interested in K-pop? I don’t like the sexual overtones in it. I don’t like the dancing,” Cote said.

“To me, it sounds all the same and pretty superficial.”

“...I like music to have deeper meanings to it,” he said.

I agree so much with this.

I like listening to KPop from time to time, but I could never become a fan of it.
A friend of mine tried to get me into liking Super Junior and even when some of their songs are quite nice, most of their lyrics are so shallow (same with other KPop-bands, of course!).

[archaenon.livejournal.com]

Kpop is supposed to be taken at face value, I've never heard of anyone trying to find deep meaning in most pop. Now stuff like MJ, most people never paid attention to his lyrics on the other hand.

[archaenon.livejournal.com]

This article had some good points, then it quickly dwindled into personal preference complaining.

I don't know of any country that you can really call diverse in terms of music, it's whatever sells to the mainstream and it's all usually along the same lines.

[grapewhine.livejournal.com]

This article had some good points, then it quickly dwindled into personal preference complaining.

MTE, though I still found slivers of validity in those.

[erbalurbal.livejournal.com]

welcome to the music industry. Pop music dominates the charts in every country, teens are sexualized in most major markets, companies don't care about the artists and only want to make money.


new information

[devilstay.livejournal.com]

'When people refer to K-pop, the music of indie bands, folk singers and rock groups is still excluded from the discussion'.

This is true and annoying, because when I refer to KPOP, I actually mean Korean music in general.

[orenji13.livejournal.com]

Athletes and idols are not the same though.. They carry a different economy value

[funkaliciousss.livejournal.com]

ia so much with the lack of diversity. F(x), 4minute, secret, rainbow, sistar, girls day, chocolate and chocolat are all pretty much the same thing. Except for chocolat though since they are ~*biracial*~.

[glittermeout.livejournal.com]

...what?
looks like music really is subjective. I could pick out at least 5 groups from your list who to me are each distinct from the other, not only in music style but singing ability.
the two groups most far apart are probably sistar and girls day, they are like the antithesis of each other.
maybe its because you don't like these girl groups enough to listen to them...no offence

[ghost-whisper.livejournal.com]

asked why people think training an athlete and training a singer are different

Probably because if an *athlete* drives themselves into exhaustion and illness training then it's considered hazardous to their career, and a *good* coach/support system will tell them to take care of themselves whereas when an idol drives themselves into exhaustion they are sent to the hospital for an IV drip and told to stop being a pansy and keep on trucking, otherwise it's a 'betrayal' or 'laziness'. Also - an athlete isn't usually contractually obliged to run themselves into the ground. Sure, if they don't work hard they might lose that coveted position or endorsement, but they usually won't get sued by their management, because the hours they put in are more their own business.

When people refer to K-pop, the music of indie bands, folk singers and rock groups is still excluded from the discussion.

But...when people refer to 'pop' they don't usually mean indie, folk, or rock either. That's why they're called folk/rock whatever. I mean, I get that 'pop' technically refers to 'popular' and that if a rock song or something comes to the fore of media consciousness it could be considered pop music in that sense...but when people refer to pop as a genre don't they (first and foremost) think of specific music styles (often of the 'young adult oriented/highly visual/dance oriented styles). It can't be coincidence that when you say 'pop' people think Britney Spears, or Lada Gaga, and are less likely to say, oh, U2 or Nickleback, or something.
--->Though I wish *Krock* got more attention.


I don’t like the sexual overtones in it. I don’t like the dancing

I laughed at this, because while i think that sure it's a legit reason to not like a group(s), I was also thinking "but soooo much music has this, whether it's 'pop' or Hip Hop or R&B or European or North American or...". Maybe it's just the quotes they used, but this guy came off as incredibly generalizing about the whole music industry imo. Like 'well I don't like it, so clearly there isn't much depth' and then deciding his own standards of what makes 'deep' music. I *hate* when people do that with any sort of art. It makes my inner art bitch stand up and rage. (where is that screaming picture when you need it?)

[queenhinata.livejournal.com]

I agree 100% with your comment.

[madelyn93.livejournal.com]

who likes kpop for their music though? we like it for the performance.

it's like saying we like superjunior for their songs.

[ashiva.livejournal.com]

Idk I like for instance Epik High, Big Bang (and their solo/duo projects), 2NE1, Se7en, Gummy, Classique Project, Seo Taiji, IU, 2AM, and SHINee for music. And don't really give a fuck about artists whose music I don't truly like. Oh and what comes to SuJu I actually really liked their Sorry Sorry album for music (their two most recent albums have been crap though).

[lydzi.livejournal.com]

Oh oh some serious discussion in Omona? Thanks ashiva to brought that article here then ^^. It's good to see some korean articles who do not blindly adore the Kpop wave.

The K-pop boom and the popularity of Korean idols are often attributed to Korean entertainment agencies’ tough training that nurtures talented aspirants and turns them into global idol stars.

First sentence and I'm already "yeah but". The talented part is so so to me. I don't... I'm not saying that most of them are not talented (because I actually do think some of them are) but if I learn something within Jpop and Kpop is that they don't emphasize the notion of "naturally talented". This is so different from the west where singers almost don't show that they have worked a lot to achieve what they did. The attitude and the way work and preparation is so very different to begin with. Kpop almost only lays his success on the fact that they work the most, the hardest, the longest. It is how every band is presented. It is how the idols need to be perceived. Long hours? means you're passionate. Fainting on stage because of how hard you repeat? you can sacrifice for you goal. Only speaking about being perfect or achieving it? you're doing it right.
Meanwhile in western music you shouldn't be percieved as working too much because on the contrary it could mean that you're not gifted enough. Which would mean you are not a true artist.


Nothing changing regarding the condition of Kpop idols imo, doesn't only lie within those contracts but also in the all mentality of the idols themselves. They have been learning only that you need to work in order to be talented. And the more you work, the more talented you'll become. Talent not being something you're born with it, but something you achieve. Which is the exact contrary of, at least, the european industry.

[the-erotomanic.livejournal.com]

do a lot of koreans think idols/celebrities are overworked? it seems like the korean culture values long working hours and very short vacations. whatever industry you're in, you're bound to experience long working hours. and i think some people might resent idols/celebrities for earning a lot of money if they don't work hard enough for it. :o\

now the rest of the article is just pointless babble. it just rehashes old gripes about the music industry without giving much new insight into it.

[yukahoo.livejournal.com]

I was thinking the same exact thing. There seems to be a kind of sickly glorification of not only hard work, but actually overworking in the society. Going beyond what is reasonable or even safe. If six members of SJ go film Dream Team long into the night and four of them come back with injuries (in the spine, are you kidding me?!), someone should put two and two together and realize that they were too tired for it.

And what do the idols keep on repeating? I'll work harder, I'll work harder. I don't think people or youngsters should hold idols as role models to begin with, but if even less if they continue portraying an image where personal well-being is something to look down on with disdain.

Sorry for dumping this here. I think I'm actually commenting besides your point. I'll stop now. I know nothing.

[bulleusekat.livejournal.com]

Just wondering, but isn't trot considered as pop ? I mean, the oldest kpop music you could ever find ?

[lydzi.livejournal.com]

Pop music has meaning. It's just not a dramatic one that's all. It's what it is: easy and usually happy lyrics, fast paced music and typical dances. I love the 50's and 60's pop music and tbh nothing changed within the lyrics. Yes it does lack of diversity sometimes but lots of people do pop music meaning that lots of people will stumble on the same sounds and the same kind of lyrics. Mass effect (and to be fair rock or folk has the exact same problem imo).

In terms of indie or rock music, only three songs by indie band 10 cm were on the list (...)

Sad but true. Then if Indie music was popular it wouldn't be indie music anymore :p.

[mrschangminshim.livejournal.com]

He added that K-pop bands seemed to have been created by entertainment agencies to make money and that they only appeal to teenage groups.

So TRUE. I stick to JPOP when it comes to lyrics. >;D hands down to it.

[karavanuemura.livejournal.com]

Finally an honest review about Kpop. . .? O.o

Oh well. . .seriously, only a FEW KPOP does a very meaningful lyrics. Count BIGBANG in it.

[dongsaeng.livejournal.com]

what makes k-pop meaningful as far as lyrics go, to me, is that the singers and performers put their heart and soul into their songs. even if they're not writing it, they couldn't possibly love what they do and give such a good performance if they didn't SOMEHOW relate or find a way to put themselves into their music. even if their lyrics can be shoddy at times, it doesn't really matter to me. knowing that they put so much of their lives and energy into doing what they do is enough for me to give them respect and think their music has meaning.

[shinobu-kokoro.livejournal.com]

I totally 100% with you...while I do occasionally listen to idol music music because it's fun and catchy. Otherwise, I usually listen more to the indie or K-rock or non idols. You can usually tell whenever a singer is singing from their heart, their music usually speaks for itself though. I'm really happy that others are starting to realize that others and International fans need to recognize and listen some non-idol music^^

[markovnikov.livejournal.com]

i just like kpop because the music is fun to listen to. don't have a clue about what their saying imo

[lilykt7.livejournal.com]

i listen to kpop cause it's catchy and i like the dancing. lol i don't speak korean, so lyrics don't usually bother me. unless its really bad engrish. when it comes to rap or rock though i do listen to japanese artist more often. they just seem to hit harder. again tho i don't know anything about krock or krap. unfortunately they don't show up as often in mainstream korean music.

i WILL say this in defense of kpop tho. its not all the same. there are some songs i genuinely think are well produced and catchy and some that i think are crap.

[lydzi.livejournal.com]

Bad engrish is the best. Having a girl trapped IN DA CUBE makes all the sense in the world to me ^^.

[glittermeout.livejournal.com]

the one and only band in kpop that I would feel proud to introduce to others to based on song composition and lyrical quality: big bang.

they are not even in the top 3 of my bias list

[phililen3.livejournal.com]

AND ALL THE GIRL BANDS ARE SEX SEX AND MORE SEX. IS THERE A GIRL BAND THAT HAS THE COMPOSITION AND LYRICAL QUALITY DOWN?
THE ONLY THING THEY HAVE DOWN ARE THE SHORT SHORTS THAT REQUIRE SHORTS TO BE WORN UNDERNEATH..WTH?

AND WHAT HAPPENED TO VOCAL TALENT?

[canttakeabreath.livejournal.com]

frankly, i really do love the lyrics on the latest super junior album, even if most of the time i listen to kop precisely because i don't understand korean and can focus on the fun musicality without having to listen to love notes written by teenagers.


“The hard and tough training system is the driving force of the K-pop boom.”

what sucks is that this is 100% accurate. dbsk only did as well as they did because they were constantly promoting everywhere. the music scene's turnover is so quick that you just get buried otherwise.

[cast-no-shadow0.livejournal.com]

The end of this article just got silly.

And I do like the kpop I like because of the music. I think Beast is really well produced and their last album (Fiction and Fact) has so many great songs. Fiction is just beautiful.

I honestly haven't gotten into many other kpop groups because their music and singing does not seem as strong.

[queenhinata.livejournal.com]

Well if you're talking about Korean music (Pop, Trot, Rock, etc.), then it would make sense to say that. Why would KPop encompass all of the genres? Duh.

[phililen3.livejournal.com]

WHICH IS WHY I DISCOVER MY OWN MUSIC INSTEAD OF PEOPLE TELLING ME WHAT TO LISTEN TOO.

BUT THE FACT IS IF A BAND DOES NOT CONFORM TO MAINSTREAM SHIT THEN THEY WILL NOT SELL WELL. END OF STORY.AND YOU REALLY SHOULD NOT HOPE FOR MUCH IF YOU ARE A SOLOIST.
REALLY SAD