![juantokki's tweet photo. [Exclusive] Idol Union Collapses After Just 2 Members Register… Ultimately Falls Through After 9 Months
https://t.co/NVI9JdSMXr
Reporter Choi Minji
It has belatedly been confirmed that efforts to establish an idol labor union aimed at improving the rights and interests of K-pop artists have fallen through. Approximately nine months after Bang Min-soo, formerly of the group TEEN TOP, and others led the effort and submitted an application to establish a labor union in September last year, they ultimately withdrew the application.
According to reporting by JoongAng Ilbo on the 16th, the Seongnam Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor was informed on May 13 by Bang Min-soo, chairman of the preparatory committee for the idol labor union, that they intended to withdraw the application, citing “problems arising from differences in the value of the establishment members”
When the preparatory committee submitted the application to establish the idol union to the branch office in September last year, it presented the following policy goals:
* Guaranteeing idols a minimum standard of living
* Expanding access to the four major social insurance programs
* Providing legal action by agencies, as well as assistance with the removal of malicious comments and filing complaints, when artists suffer harm from malicious comments and similar abuse
At the time of the union’s launch, Bang Min-soo told the media that “around 10 idols” had expressed their intention to participate. However, the actual application listed only two union members. It also appears that the organizers were unable to secure legal or administrative assistance necessary to launch the union. Over the course of nine months, the Seongnam Branch requested supplementary materials four times, citing deficiencies in the submitted documents and other issues.
An industry insider analyzed the situation, saying, “Given the nature of the idol profession, there would have been practical limitations, such as how to have their legal status as workers recognized and whether active idols would be willing to join a union despite risking a deterioration in their relationship with their agencies.”
In other words, although idols and their agencies are business partners according to their contracts, their actual relationship can be closer to a hierarchical one until the artist achieves success, making it difficult for idols to speak up.
Regarding the matter, Bang Min-soo told this newspaper, “I have nothing to say,” and declined to provide any further comment.
A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said, “Regarding the issues raised by the idol labor union at the time, we are considering policy-based solutions.”
⸻
If It Had to Come to a Union… Why Are Idols in a Blind Spot?
The idol labor union attracted attention both inside and outside the industry from the planning stages last year. Since first-generation idol group H.O.T. raised allegations of unfair contracts with SM Entertainment around the time of its disbandment in 2001, issues including unpaid earnings, unfair treatment, and the protection of underage artists have continued to arise.
However, in an environment of endless competition with an enormous number of trainees, it has been difficult for those directly affected to organize themselves and demand their rights.
This is closely connected to the industry’s structure, in which an agency or producer makes a large initial investment and the artist receives their settlement only after achieving success. One management-industry official said, “It can cost anywhere from 5 billion won to as much as 20 billion won for a single team to debut,” explaining that it is a structure in which “the producer bears the enormous burden of the initial investment, while the idol trainees also go along with it, operating on an all-or-nothing basis.”
In this regard, Hyebin, a member of the group MOMOLAND, pointed this out in a video titled “Why Idols Don’t Make Money,” uploaded to her YouTube channel on July 4. She said that, except at major agencies, expenses incurred during the trainee period—including lesson fees, food, accommodation, and practice-room rental fees—are charged after the artist debuts. “Simply put, it’s deferred payment, and you debut carrying debts amounting to hundreds of millions of won,” she said.
Professor Kim Jeong-seop of Sungshin Women’s University’s Department of Cultural Industry and Arts criticized the situation, saying it resulted from “trainee periods that are excessively long and relationships between producers and artists being structured as clear hierarchical relationships rather than partnerships.”
Critic Bae Guk-nam also pointed out that “because the distinction between investment funds and expenses in contracts, as well as the standards for when profits are to be distributed, are quite ambiguous, agencies and artists inevitably end up in disputes after achieving success.”
Among the seven standard contracts announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2018, the contract for trainees includes the principle that “all expenses incurred for a trainee’s training activities shall be borne by the producer.” However, it also stipulates that “whether such expenses will be deducted and the method of deduction shall be separately agreed upon between the producer and the trainee.”
Another point of contention is whether idols should be regarded as workers under the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act.
Under their contracts, idols do not necessarily possess the kind of “personal dependency” associated with an employer’s direction and supervision, and their compensation is often divided according to a predetermined share of the profits if they succeed.
In 2024, NewJeans member Hanni claimed that she had been subjected to workplace harassment, but she was unable to receive legal protection because she was not recognized as a worker under labor law.
However, in 2018, the Supreme Court ruled regarding the exercise of labor-union rights by the Korean Broadcasting Actors’ Union that even if an actor is not an exclusive performer subject to an employer’s direction and supervision, they may still be recognized as a worker if there is a strong need to guarantee the three basic labor rights.
Meanwhile, a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said, “For unfair contracts, we provide legal assistance through reporting centers such as the Popular Culture and Arts Support Center. Separately, we are also working to bring about broader cultural improvements through the Korea Creative Content Agency’s survey of the popular culture and arts industry, which is conducted every two years, as well as by encouraging the use of standard contracts.”](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HP5EU5FbIAAklhf.jpg)
![juantokki's tweet photo. [Exclusive] Idol Union Collapses After Just 2 Members Register… Ultimately Falls Through After 9 Months
https://t.co/NVI9JdSMXr
Reporter Choi Minji
It has belatedly been confirmed that efforts to establish an idol labor union aimed at improving the rights and interests of K-pop artists have fallen through. Approximately nine months after Bang Min-soo, formerly of the group TEEN TOP, and others led the effort and submitted an application to establish a labor union in September last year, they ultimately withdrew the application.
According to reporting by JoongAng Ilbo on the 16th, the Seongnam Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor was informed on May 13 by Bang Min-soo, chairman of the preparatory committee for the idol labor union, that they intended to withdraw the application, citing “problems arising from differences in the value of the establishment members”
When the preparatory committee submitted the application to establish the idol union to the branch office in September last year, it presented the following policy goals:
* Guaranteeing idols a minimum standard of living
* Expanding access to the four major social insurance programs
* Providing legal action by agencies, as well as assistance with the removal of malicious comments and filing complaints, when artists suffer harm from malicious comments and similar abuse
At the time of the union’s launch, Bang Min-soo told the media that “around 10 idols” had expressed their intention to participate. However, the actual application listed only two union members. It also appears that the organizers were unable to secure legal or administrative assistance necessary to launch the union. Over the course of nine months, the Seongnam Branch requested supplementary materials four times, citing deficiencies in the submitted documents and other issues.
An industry insider analyzed the situation, saying, “Given the nature of the idol profession, there would have been practical limitations, such as how to have their legal status as workers recognized and whether active idols would be willing to join a union despite risking a deterioration in their relationship with their agencies.”
In other words, although idols and their agencies are business partners according to their contracts, their actual relationship can be closer to a hierarchical one until the artist achieves success, making it difficult for idols to speak up.
Regarding the matter, Bang Min-soo told this newspaper, “I have nothing to say,” and declined to provide any further comment.
A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said, “Regarding the issues raised by the idol labor union at the time, we are considering policy-based solutions.”
⸻
If It Had to Come to a Union… Why Are Idols in a Blind Spot?
The idol labor union attracted attention both inside and outside the industry from the planning stages last year. Since first-generation idol group H.O.T. raised allegations of unfair contracts with SM Entertainment around the time of its disbandment in 2001, issues including unpaid earnings, unfair treatment, and the protection of underage artists have continued to arise.
However, in an environment of endless competition with an enormous number of trainees, it has been difficult for those directly affected to organize themselves and demand their rights.
This is closely connected to the industry’s structure, in which an agency or producer makes a large initial investment and the artist receives their settlement only after achieving success. One management-industry official said, “It can cost anywhere from 5 billion won to as much as 20 billion won for a single team to debut,” explaining that it is a structure in which “the producer bears the enormous burden of the initial investment, while the idol trainees also go along with it, operating on an all-or-nothing basis.”
In this regard, Hyebin, a member of the group MOMOLAND, pointed this out in a video titled “Why Idols Don’t Make Money,” uploaded to her YouTube channel on July 4. She said that, except at major agencies, expenses incurred during the trainee period—including lesson fees, food, accommodation, and practice-room rental fees—are charged after the artist debuts. “Simply put, it’s deferred payment, and you debut carrying debts amounting to hundreds of millions of won,” she said.
Professor Kim Jeong-seop of Sungshin Women’s University’s Department of Cultural Industry and Arts criticized the situation, saying it resulted from “trainee periods that are excessively long and relationships between producers and artists being structured as clear hierarchical relationships rather than partnerships.”
Critic Bae Guk-nam also pointed out that “because the distinction between investment funds and expenses in contracts, as well as the standards for when profits are to be distributed, are quite ambiguous, agencies and artists inevitably end up in disputes after achieving success.”
Among the seven standard contracts announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2018, the contract for trainees includes the principle that “all expenses incurred for a trainee’s training activities shall be borne by the producer.” However, it also stipulates that “whether such expenses will be deducted and the method of deduction shall be separately agreed upon between the producer and the trainee.”
Another point of contention is whether idols should be regarded as workers under the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act.
Under their contracts, idols do not necessarily possess the kind of “personal dependency” associated with an employer’s direction and supervision, and their compensation is often divided according to a predetermined share of the profits if they succeed.
In 2024, NewJeans member Hanni claimed that she had been subjected to workplace harassment, but she was unable to receive legal protection because she was not recognized as a worker under labor law.
However, in 2018, the Supreme Court ruled regarding the exercise of labor-union rights by the Korean Broadcasting Actors’ Union that even if an actor is not an exclusive performer subject to an employer’s direction and supervision, they may still be recognized as a worker if there is a strong need to guarantee the three basic labor rights.
Meanwhile, a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said, “For unfair contracts, we provide legal assistance through reporting centers such as the Popular Culture and Arts Support Center. Separately, we are also working to bring about broader cultural improvements through the Korea Creative Content Agency’s survey of the popular culture and arts industry, which is conducted every two years, as well as by encouraging the use of standard contracts.”](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HP5EU5EbEAARLPw.jpg)
Olivia
Online
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welcome to my page ₊˚⊹ ᰔ ⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅ ‧₊˚
Joined September 2024
195 Following
189 Followers
856 Posts
no hybe group could ever be newjeans' sister group change my mind
Idgaf, NewJeans will always be the REAL VICTIM here. Stop trying to change the story to make your faves look like the victims and NewJeans look like the bad guys.
@ice_kiof @clusternny And u think illit, LSF, BTS fandoms aren’t all hating on Newjeans? Half of it because of what mf MHJ said or straight up misinformation. I specified I half ass my tweets and leave out a ton of context, idk why you’re trynna make this some competition
This fandom is not mean enough
This is like when Belift investigated themselves and found themselves innocent and called Hanni a liar.
They are gonna make this Hanni’s fault again but hopefully whoever is representing her legally this time would be smarter and be more aggressive about fighting for her.
@Partygotmeiced @DiasRiviera You’re * and year you made an account ≠ your actual age. This conversation is beneath me
다니엘 공정위 민원과 보이콧이 중요한 이유 👇
@DiasRiviera @Partygotmeiced Given it’s a Katseye stan, they could very likely be a 2nd grade actually
MEOVV performing BLACKPINK’s “JUMP” at KCON LA 2026!🖤🩷
@Hai4RT @stargirl_mo @ice_kiof They seem to forget HYBE claims they have a multi-label system, they’re SUPPOSED to be independently operated and they are still direct competitors.. sharing ADORs plans would be going against their whole structure. Proving it’s a either a lie or it’s a flat violation
What’s the point of revealing this? Do HYBE want to create another “sister group” narrative, or HYBE want to make NewJeans look like the bad guys? Just free newJeans from this bs
Just spent a good old 3 minutes scrolling through oomfs tweets thinking it was the timeline… I was so confused as to why they were all I saw… now they probably think I’m a stalker or something.. lmfao
Treat her like you guys treated chaeyoung
@lattetae_ This is literally the person who quoted lol I wasn’t saying we should be mean to illit, I was mad people weren’t loud enough about Belift obtaining the proposal to begin with
Calling women wh0res over Kpop discourse? You’re mentally ill “Hamnni”? But you complain about other people bodyshaming your idols? But if it’s you, it’s okay??
[Exclusive] Idol Union Collapses After Just 2 Members Register… Ultimately Falls Through After 9 Months
https://t.co/NVI9JdSMXr
Reporter Choi Minji
It has belatedly been confirmed that efforts to establish an idol labor union aimed at improving the rights and interests of K-pop artists have fallen through. Approximately nine months after Bang Min-soo, formerly of the group TEEN TOP, and others led the effort and submitted an application to establish a labor union in September last year, they ultimately withdrew the application.
According to reporting by JoongAng Ilbo on the 16th, the Seongnam Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor was informed on May 13 by Bang Min-soo, chairman of the preparatory committee for the idol labor union, that they intended to withdraw the application, citing “problems arising from differences in the value of the establishment members”
When the preparatory committee submitted the application to establish the idol union to the branch office in September last year, it presented the following policy goals:
* Guaranteeing idols a minimum standard of living
* Expanding access to the four major social insurance programs
* Providing legal action by agencies, as well as assistance with the removal of malicious comments and filing complaints, when artists suffer harm from malicious comments and similar abuse
At the time of the union’s launch, Bang Min-soo told the media that “around 10 idols” had expressed their intention to participate. However, the actual application listed only two union members. It also appears that the organizers were unable to secure legal or administrative assistance necessary to launch the union. Over the course of nine months, the Seongnam Branch requested supplementary materials four times, citing deficiencies in the submitted documents and other issues.
An industry insider analyzed the situation, saying, “Given the nature of the idol profession, there would have been practical limitations, such as how to have their legal status as workers recognized and whether active idols would be willing to join a union despite risking a deterioration in their relationship with their agencies.”
In other words, although idols and their agencies are business partners according to their contracts, their actual relationship can be closer to a hierarchical one until the artist achieves success, making it difficult for idols to speak up.
Regarding the matter, Bang Min-soo told this newspaper, “I have nothing to say,” and declined to provide any further comment.
A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said, “Regarding the issues raised by the idol labor union at the time, we are considering policy-based solutions.”
⸻
If It Had to Come to a Union… Why Are Idols in a Blind Spot?
The idol labor union attracted attention both inside and outside the industry from the planning stages last year. Since first-generation idol group H.O.T. raised allegations of unfair contracts with SM Entertainment around the time of its disbandment in 2001, issues including unpaid earnings, unfair treatment, and the protection of underage artists have continued to arise.
However, in an environment of endless competition with an enormous number of trainees, it has been difficult for those directly affected to organize themselves and demand their rights.
This is closely connected to the industry’s structure, in which an agency or producer makes a large initial investment and the artist receives their settlement only after achieving success. One management-industry official said, “It can cost anywhere from 5 billion won to as much as 20 billion won for a single team to debut,” explaining that it is a structure in which “the producer bears the enormous burden of the initial investment, while the idol trainees also go along with it, operating on an all-or-nothing basis.”
In this regard, Hyebin, a member of the group MOMOLAND, pointed this out in a video titled “Why Idols Don’t Make Money,” uploaded to her YouTube channel on July 4. She said that, except at major agencies, expenses incurred during the trainee period—including lesson fees, food, accommodation, and practice-room rental fees—are charged after the artist debuts. “Simply put, it’s deferred payment, and you debut carrying debts amounting to hundreds of millions of won,” she said.
Professor Kim Jeong-seop of Sungshin Women’s University’s Department of Cultural Industry and Arts criticized the situation, saying it resulted from “trainee periods that are excessively long and relationships between producers and artists being structured as clear hierarchical relationships rather than partnerships.”
Critic Bae Guk-nam also pointed out that “because the distinction between investment funds and expenses in contracts, as well as the standards for when profits are to be distributed, are quite ambiguous, agencies and artists inevitably end up in disputes after achieving success.”
Among the seven standard contracts announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2018, the contract for trainees includes the principle that “all expenses incurred for a trainee’s training activities shall be borne by the producer.” However, it also stipulates that “whether such expenses will be deducted and the method of deduction shall be separately agreed upon between the producer and the trainee.”
Another point of contention is whether idols should be regarded as workers under the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act.
Under their contracts, idols do not necessarily possess the kind of “personal dependency” associated with an employer’s direction and supervision, and their compensation is often divided according to a predetermined share of the profits if they succeed.
In 2024, NewJeans member Hanni claimed that she had been subjected to workplace harassment, but she was unable to receive legal protection because she was not recognized as a worker under labor law.
However, in 2018, the Supreme Court ruled regarding the exercise of labor-union rights by the Korean Broadcasting Actors’ Union that even if an actor is not an exclusive performer subject to an employer’s direction and supervision, they may still be recognized as a worker if there is a strong need to guarantee the three basic labor rights.
Meanwhile, a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said, “For unfair contracts, we provide legal assistance through reporting centers such as the Popular Culture and Arts Support Center. Separately, we are also working to bring about broader cultural improvements through the Korea Creative Content Agency’s survey of the popular culture and arts industry, which is conducted every two years, as well as by encouraging the use of standard contracts.”
![juantokki's tweet photo. [Exclusive] Idol Union Collapses After Just 2 Members Register… Ultimately Falls Through After 9 Months
https://t.co/NVI9JdSMXr
Reporter Choi Minji
It has belatedly been confirmed that efforts to establish an idol labor union aimed at improving the rights and interests of K-pop artists have fallen through. Approximately nine months after Bang Min-soo, formerly of the group TEEN TOP, and others led the effort and submitted an application to establish a labor union in September last year, they ultimately withdrew the application.
According to reporting by JoongAng Ilbo on the 16th, the Seongnam Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor was informed on May 13 by Bang Min-soo, chairman of the preparatory committee for the idol labor union, that they intended to withdraw the application, citing “problems arising from differences in the value of the establishment members”
When the preparatory committee submitted the application to establish the idol union to the branch office in September last year, it presented the following policy goals:
* Guaranteeing idols a minimum standard of living
* Expanding access to the four major social insurance programs
* Providing legal action by agencies, as well as assistance with the removal of malicious comments and filing complaints, when artists suffer harm from malicious comments and similar abuse
At the time of the union’s launch, Bang Min-soo told the media that “around 10 idols” had expressed their intention to participate. However, the actual application listed only two union members. It also appears that the organizers were unable to secure legal or administrative assistance necessary to launch the union. Over the course of nine months, the Seongnam Branch requested supplementary materials four times, citing deficiencies in the submitted documents and other issues.
An industry insider analyzed the situation, saying, “Given the nature of the idol profession, there would have been practical limitations, such as how to have their legal status as workers recognized and whether active idols would be willing to join a union despite risking a deterioration in their relationship with their agencies.”
In other words, although idols and their agencies are business partners according to their contracts, their actual relationship can be closer to a hierarchical one until the artist achieves success, making it difficult for idols to speak up.
Regarding the matter, Bang Min-soo told this newspaper, “I have nothing to say,” and declined to provide any further comment.
A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said, “Regarding the issues raised by the idol labor union at the time, we are considering policy-based solutions.”
⸻
If It Had to Come to a Union… Why Are Idols in a Blind Spot?
The idol labor union attracted attention both inside and outside the industry from the planning stages last year. Since first-generation idol group H.O.T. raised allegations of unfair contracts with SM Entertainment around the time of its disbandment in 2001, issues including unpaid earnings, unfair treatment, and the protection of underage artists have continued to arise.
However, in an environment of endless competition with an enormous number of trainees, it has been difficult for those directly affected to organize themselves and demand their rights.
This is closely connected to the industry’s structure, in which an agency or producer makes a large initial investment and the artist receives their settlement only after achieving success. One management-industry official said, “It can cost anywhere from 5 billion won to as much as 20 billion won for a single team to debut,” explaining that it is a structure in which “the producer bears the enormous burden of the initial investment, while the idol trainees also go along with it, operating on an all-or-nothing basis.”
In this regard, Hyebin, a member of the group MOMOLAND, pointed this out in a video titled “Why Idols Don’t Make Money,” uploaded to her YouTube channel on July 4. She said that, except at major agencies, expenses incurred during the trainee period—including lesson fees, food, accommodation, and practice-room rental fees—are charged after the artist debuts. “Simply put, it’s deferred payment, and you debut carrying debts amounting to hundreds of millions of won,” she said.
Professor Kim Jeong-seop of Sungshin Women’s University’s Department of Cultural Industry and Arts criticized the situation, saying it resulted from “trainee periods that are excessively long and relationships between producers and artists being structured as clear hierarchical relationships rather than partnerships.”
Critic Bae Guk-nam also pointed out that “because the distinction between investment funds and expenses in contracts, as well as the standards for when profits are to be distributed, are quite ambiguous, agencies and artists inevitably end up in disputes after achieving success.”
Among the seven standard contracts announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2018, the contract for trainees includes the principle that “all expenses incurred for a trainee’s training activities shall be borne by the producer.” However, it also stipulates that “whether such expenses will be deducted and the method of deduction shall be separately agreed upon between the producer and the trainee.”
Another point of contention is whether idols should be regarded as workers under the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act.
Under their contracts, idols do not necessarily possess the kind of “personal dependency” associated with an employer’s direction and supervision, and their compensation is often divided according to a predetermined share of the profits if they succeed.
In 2024, NewJeans member Hanni claimed that she had been subjected to workplace harassment, but she was unable to receive legal protection because she was not recognized as a worker under labor law.
However, in 2018, the Supreme Court ruled regarding the exercise of labor-union rights by the Korean Broadcasting Actors’ Union that even if an actor is not an exclusive performer subject to an employer’s direction and supervision, they may still be recognized as a worker if there is a strong need to guarantee the three basic labor rights.
Meanwhile, a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said, “For unfair contracts, we provide legal assistance through reporting centers such as the Popular Culture and Arts Support Center. Separately, we are also working to bring about broader cultural improvements through the Korea Creative Content Agency’s survey of the popular culture and arts industry, which is conducted every two years, as well as by encouraging the use of standard contracts.”](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HP5EU5Ka4AAf98L.jpg)
Anything except taking accountability for their actions. Not once did they call out the media for the things they wrote about her
Imagine being surprised that a member of a group whose team was destroyed, whose future was taken away, and who started being pressured and gaslit inside the company, cried while recounting one of the incidents
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