21-Year-Old Kpop Veteran Idol Kim Dong Wan from Shinhwa helped shed light on how difficult and demanding the Kpop industry can be and how agencies play a role in ruining idols lives.
Kim Dong Wan posted a long message to his instagram account and it has gone viral. His post seems to be connected to Sulli’s sudden tragic passing; he talked about how grueling the industry can be and how that little attention is being paid towards idols mental health.
Here is his translated post:
“When an athlete suffers a ligament injury, even when in cases recovery by conservative treatment or rehabilitation is possible, they’d still advise to receive surgery despite the potential aftereffects.
This is because the treatment period following an injury is included in their contracts. With the rise in media outlets and celebrities, there are more and more things that they are forcing each other to do.
There are so many adults who expect young [idols] to show bright and healthy smile even when they can’t eat or sleep properly. They expect them to be sexy but not have sex, and to be tough but not fight anyone.
Many hoobae [junior idols] think over and over again about how big of an illness they want to carry in their hearts for the sake of the sweet taste of money and fame.
So many papers and reports tell us about how convenient and fast psychoactive drugs are and how many side effects they bring about. We must no longer stand by and watch people offer substances because they were asked or because they needed a quick solution.
We can’t overlook the fact that the complacency of big agencies can be the host of infectious diseases that will spread without contact.”
Many fans are applauding Kim Dong Wan for his boldness as idols and celebrities rarely directly address these situations or even publicly criticize it. Many fans are worried about idols well-being and are advocating for a change in the way agencies big and small handle their artists.
What do you think of what he said?
This is really good that he’s shedding light on the reality of the kpop industry, and for my thoughts I’ve known about the industry since a long time though social media and through videos and so I know what actually goes in there. I hope things change in future for the idols because how can you expect an idol or an artist to perform in such conditions? More than following their heart and passion the industry forces them to follow rules and that’s insane truly.
It was devastating to KPOP IDOLS how some agencies lack moral support in this field. I agree to this opinion. Its Time For KPop Culture to change specially Netizens and Fans who acts and post malicious intents. One thing that bothers me is that why do they call Celebrities Dating a “SCANDAL” 2 People falling in love and dating is called a Romance. A scandal is when people do malicious actions, bad and immoral behaviour against another person. Please KOreans be open about this subject. THis is one of the reasons KPop Idols commit suicide. They are humans and have the right to love someone in their lifetime.