FEATURE:
The Problem with K-Pop
IN THIS PHOTO: K-Pop artist Goo Hara was found dead on Sunday, 24th November, 2019 after taking her own life/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
The Death of Goo Hara and Some Big Concerns
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WHILST there are always going to be tragedies in…
IN THIS PHOTO: K-Pop band Red Velvet/PHOTO CREDIT: SM Entertainment
the music industry, it seems like a pattern is emerging in K-Pop. I will talk more about the toxic aspects of an industry that is hugely popular at the moment. In fact, K-Pop is rising fast and making its presence known in the mainstream. Even if we are not intimately familiar with many bands and artists in K-Pop, we have heard about them or are familiar with the sound of the genre. What worries me is the recent suicide of K-Pop singer, Goo Hara. The Guardian explains more:
“The K-pop singer Goo Hara has been found dead at her home in Seoul, according to police.
The body of the 28-year-old, a former member of the girl group Kara, was found early on Sunday evening, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. Police said they were trying to establish the cause of death.
Goo’s death comes six months after her manager found her unconscious at her home, in what local media described as an apparent suicide attempt. The singer and actor later apologised to fans and recently relaunched her solo career with a tour of Japan and the release of a new single.
Last year, Goo took her former boyfriend to court after he threatened to release footage of them having sex that was filmed without her knowledge or consent.
Goo’s death comes weeks after the death of her close friend and fellow K-pop star Sulli turned the spotlight on the darkest corners of the K-pop industry and the online abuse directed at celebrities by “toxic” fans.
Sulli, a former member of the group f(x), had spoken publicly about her mental health problems and shock at her death sparked calls for greater support for performers”.
Whilst one cannot directly link bosses and labels in K-Pop to the suicide of Goo Hara, there is definitely a worrying trend emerging. It is not just Hara who has suffered because of pressure and something unhealthy shaping up in K-Pop. BTS, one of the biggest K-Pop bands ever, have been subject to the downside of the industry; members RM and Suga have lived with depression and anxiety. It might seem like the sound of K-Pop and western Pop is the same but, when it comes to how the industries are run and how artists are treated, there is a gulf. One can argue Pop artists in the U.S. and U.K. and subjected to abuse, management pressures and seediness. That is true, yet a couple of notable suicides within the space of a couple of weeks throws the spotlight on K-Pop and whether there is a toxic culture. Depression and phycological issues afflict many musicians, but one listens to K-Pop music and there is this cheeriness and sense of happiness. Are artists who are struggling given the freedom to discuss mental-health the same as artists over here are? Although some of the stigma is being lifted, there is a lingering sense of taboo in South Korean society:
“In an industry that often recruits its artists as teens to train and prep them for years before deciding if they're ready to make their musical debut, the K-pop scene requires long-standing dedication, perseverance, and hard work. Even for those who do not take the typical K-pop star route through one of the various idol-generating entertainment companies, South Korean society is notably tough with loads of pressure put on young people and students. The country consistently has one of the highest death by suicide rates in the world—the second-highest among developed nations— and experts continue to point out that there’s a lack of resources for those struggling with mental health”.
Artists in the West, more and more, are opening up about mental-health problems in a way they did not feel comfortable doing a few years ago. In fact, Pop is becoming more synonymous with that sort of openness and emotion than it is uplift and happiness. Whilst there are downsides to the lack of cheer, the fact artists can express themselves in a brave way means they do not have to hide their pains; they can connect with fans and, hopefully, that makes a big difference. In a nation where Pop artists are not given quite the same sense of expression and are worked relentlessly hard, is it enviable we will see more suicides and problems? Goo Hara suicide might have been the result of a number of events and personal problems, but I do feel there is so little support for artists like her. K-Pop is producing some brilliant artists and so many are making a huge impression in the charts and conquering the world. We see smiling images of artists on stage. Image is important in Pop, but I think it is extremely relevant in Korea. So many girl and boy groups are branded to look the same way; female artists are attacked if they read feminist novels or do anything that is seen as unconventional. Many women are judged and expected to conform with strict guidelines when it comes to how they look and how they behave in private. Relationships are hard and can a female K-Pop artist enjoy a sex life when there is always the threat of repercussions or, in the case of Goo Hara, their boyfriends might leak a sex tape?!
PHOTO CREDIT: @marustereo/Unsplash
I do worry that Goo Hara’s suicide will be mourned but we will not learn anything from it? Maybe small changes are emerging regarding how mental-health is perceived, but there is obviously so much pressure on artists to succeed and make a name for themselves. With bands like BTS and BLACKPINK have established a worldwide fanbase, the new wave of K-Pop artists are expected to reach the same peaks. How much time to unwind is there? Can artists breathe and feel safe when their every move is going to be watched and judged? After I read the news Goo Hara had taken her own life, I did some researched to see how K-Pop treats its artists and how the industry differs to that of Pop in the West. This article from last year reports some shocking observations:
“It’s clear to me that no one talks enough about how these kids are treated. The abuse of aspiring young stars by older, more senior people – almost always men – in the K-pop industry is rife. “Trainees” and newly debuted idols are subjected to gruelling schedules, get hardly any personal time thanks to “slave contracts”, and are seldom let out of their managers’ sight. Stories of executives drugging, abusing and raping the teens who are theoretically in their care are widespread.
It’s not just the girls who are harmed. Last year’s suicide of Kim Jong-hyun, a.k.a. Jonghyun, of boy band SHINee, sent shock waves through the industry and legions of fans – and his was just one death among the dozens of youngsters who, finding themselves unable to cope with the pressure and the treatment meted out to them, have taken their own lives. These are cracks in a facade of make-believe. Every time, the cracks are hastily papered over by the authorities and by the hugely powerful music industry.
What makes some people get so obsessed that they turn into sasaeng – K-pop fans who pursue their idols to the point of not just offending them but making them feel threatened?
“People, especially teenagers, in Korea are lacking opportunities to enjoy cultural activities, which I believe is one of the crucial factors that gave birth to the sasaeng phenomenon,” says Kwak Keum-joo, a professor of psychology at Seoul National University”.
As K-Pop artists are portraying something spirited and colourful in their music, they will be taken to heart by Pop fans. The difference in tone between music from South Korea and nations like the U.S. are very different. It is no wonder K-Pop is proving popular but, with that, labels and those in the K-Pop industry will want to keep the pace up and hone their stars to be as popular and enduring as possible. It is clear that K-Pop artists are starved of a social life and, because of that, it impacts on their mental wellbeing:
“A psychiatry professor at a Gangnam Hospital said that: “As top stars gain popularity, they are very much deprived of private life.”
It is an industry where young Korean boys and girls are trained in often tough conditions to become stars. Not all of the trainees even make it and once they do, the idols are often forced to give up much of their ordinary life. Most of the idols are not allowed to date and if they do their relationships are often put under great scrutiny from the media and their fans. Their behaviours are closely monitored by their companies.
IN THIS PHOTO: BLACKPINK are one of K-Pop’s most-popular groups/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
A Korean cultural commentator Kim Seong-Soo said: “These “idols” virtually live in a fishbowl and are pressed to put on a smiley, happy face while behaving nicely 24/7,” adding the strain could “cripple them emotionally.”
K-pop draws inspiration from American pop, hip hop, and R&B. “K-pop uses a lot of musical achievements that hip hop has generated. Every boy band has a rapper that is married to a musical hook,” Kim said. “What they’ve done is they’ve made it into more of a bubblegum pop so that teenagers who listen to it would be freed from the constraints and realities of the hoodlum culture that has been the backbone of urban experience and is part of the American popular music landscape,” he said.
But while hip hop artists tell their rags-to-riches story of rising from the ghetto into fame and money, K-pop is completely different. K-pop idols are never allowed to draw from their own realities and life experiences. The content of the songs is sanitised, Kim said. Kim described the industry as “regulated, regimented, self-censored”. Idols are not allowed to have social media.
The fact K-Pop artists are not given the flexibility to discuss sadness and personal sorrow means that this cheery façade needs to remain. As many cannot release and find catharsis easily away from the limelight, this unbearable tension remains. I am not surprised there are suicides being reported as one can only imagine how difficult it is for many artists. Couple the rigidity of K-Pop and how artists are raised with the obsessive nature of fans and the sort of acidic spite one will see online and it means many artists are vulnerable and exposed. Where do they turn when they feel seriously low? Will their fans help them and provide kind words, or will the pleas be ignored? I know there are K-Pop artists who are happy and well-adjusted, but who knows just how many artists are struggling and whether we will see more suicides? It is hard to radically change the way K-Pop is run and how artists are treated. If there is a sense of understanding starting to come in, should it take the suicide of artists to finally open people’s eyes?! Cultural values and the music industry in general are very different in South Korea. North Korean artists are even being lured over the border because of the opportunities and prosperity they could enjoy. I concede the fact K-Pop music does present a sense of energy and positivity Pop needs, but when we are hearing about some of the dark elements of the genre, do we need to take action?!
It is tragic hearing about Goo Hara’s demise and how poorly she has been treated. There is this lack of respect and robot-like nature of K-Pop that means artists are more akin to products than people. With BTS scooping three gongs at the American Music Awards, it is clear K-Pop is a valuable currency. Whilst there is shock and sadness when a K-Pop artist suffers depression or loses their life, are lessons learned? I feel like there is this ignorance regarding how toxic K-Pop could be and how disposable artists are. I do hope there will be genuine changes in the industry and we do not have to read about another horrifying suicide. I can appreciate the quality of K-Pop and why it is so popular, but I cannot reconcile it against the weight on artists’ shoulders and how little personal space they are afforded. I suppose improvement will not happen that readily; I feel like those with power in K-Pop need to take a step back and get tougher regarding the pressure they put on artists. Social media needs to be address so that obsessive and harmful fans are blocked and not allowed a say. There needs to be better protection for artists and, regardless of how good the mental-health services are in South Korea, those suffering stress or depression need to be listened to and given the necessary support. Is it worth losing promising artists in such a senseless way? One feels that many are turning a blind eye to the toxicity of K-Pop. Given the news that came through recently, it is heart-breaking to imagine…
PHOTO CREDIT: Press
WHAT Goo Hara could have achieved!