K-Pop: Idols in Wonderland
The Unfairness 'Ria' Experienced, and What 'Kim Jae-won' Intends to Change

[비즈한국] K-pop has become South Korea's top export. However, there is a deep shadow behind the glamour. Idols, the symbols of K-pop, are scouted at a young age and go through grueling training periods. In that process, labor rights and human rights are frequently ignored. What happens to the countless trainees who never even make it to debut? Through the series 'K-Pop: Idols in Wonderland,' BizHankook intends to point out the problems that have been overlooked while K-pop grew and to examine alternatives from various angles. We believe that when those who create K-pop become healthy, those who enjoy K-pop can also be happier.

She is the first lawmaker to come from a background as a female singer. Elected as a proportional representative for the 22nd National Assembly (Rebuilding Korea Party), lawmaker Kim Jae-won was, in every sense, a domestic 'hit' singer. Better known by her stage name 'Ria' than her legal name, Rep. Kim has an exceptional determination to solve the problems of the entertainment industry. This is because she is a person who has directly experienced such 'absurdities.' We met with Rep. Kim Jae-won of the Rebuilding Korea Party on June 26.

Unsettled accounts and double contracts—I was a victim, too

Rep. Kim Jae-won debuted under the name 'Ria' in 1997. After making her name known by appearing on TV programs, she released her first album and gained immense popularity. She has had several hit songs. The well-known 'Tears' is her mega-hit song. Rep. Kim continued to release music and was loved by fans for a long time until the late 2010s.

Having been in the industry since the 90s, she says she was never properly paid. "I wasn't settled. Naturally, I never received a settlement statement either. There were times when the agency signed double contracts behind my back. They even forged my signature to write promissory notes. In my relationship with the agency, I was always the 'lesser party' (eul). The agency head built a three-story house, while I kept living in a rented house."

Even after moving to a new agency, the problems persisted. Performance contracts were signed without her knowledge, and she never once received a settlement statement. Even after achieving fame, the singer was always the 'lesser party.'

Singer Ria has now become lawmaker Kim Jae-won. The reason she entered politics is to create laws for her colleagues and juniors. "As a former singer, and a female one at that, I faced prejudice. I felt at every moment that there was an unbreakable glass ceiling. There is a perspective that people who do art 'wouldn't know anything.' However, these are problems I have been thinking about my entire life, and I think now is the opportunity to talk about them. Because until now, no one had ever asked me what my philosophy was."

Rep. Kim is confident that among the lawmakers who make laws, no one knows the entertainment industry field as well as she does. "Since the mid-2000s, when idols started to appear, artists and people in the field were all talking about these problems. But no one fixed them, and things just drifted this way. Now, what we do moving forward is important. There is no legislation, and the government has no direction at all regarding support or similar areas. I am the one who needs to talk about how to fix these things."

Solving industry problems through legislation

The K-pop industry issue that Rep. Kim Jae-won is focusing on is 'idols debuting at a young age.' "I debuted at 20, but now you can't debut at 20. They don't even let you debut then. It's been since the mid-2000s that companies started debuting teenagers. Yet, there hasn't been any social discussion or deep reflection on these issues. Are we selling young boys and girls by packaging them as sexy? For that, 11- or 12-year-old kids are taught seductive poses and expressions, thinking it looks pretty, and then the camera is shoved in their faces. I find myself wondering if it’s really healthy for 4- or 5-year-old children to watch TV and follow such things."

Rep. Kim never suffered mental anguish while working as a singer. However, she believes today's 'trainees' are different. That is because they are teaching 'trained emotions' to artists whose fate is to reflect and create. "No matter how busy I was, I never struggled mentally. But now it’s different. They can't do anything else, they can't study, they can't love, and they can't even be honest about their emotions. Then the quality of their art is bound to drop. Even in the labor sector, they introduced a 5-day workweek, saying that having more personal time increases productivity. It is even more so for artists."

Naturally, the issue of education follows. "The idol training system is also a problem in terms of how to balance education and practice. However, proposing a solution is really difficult. This form of industry has been maintained for already 20 years. Because the current K-pop industry was built by such a system, no one wants to change it."

Rep. Kim emphasizes that the current factory-style system should not continue. "I think the industry needs to move to a higher level. It shouldn't be a system where you release a new song every month, have billions of won in debt if you fail, and forget all the problems if you succeed. If they think everything can be patched up with money, eventually there will be no market after BTS."

For various artists to emerge, there must be a foundation for the industry. While regulation is necessary, there is also a need for support to foster the industry. That is why Rep. Kim plans to work on securing a budget for the culture and arts sector. Her goal is specifically to create growth policies that allow entry not only into the domestic market but also into overseas markets.

She also plans to look into standard contracts. The controversy over the fairness of standard contracts is still 'ongoing.' On the 19th, NewJeans' fan club, Bunnies, demanded that the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee revise standard contracts regarding the conflict between HYBE352820 and NewJeans. Bunnies argued, "Considering that the majority of idol groups include minors and that they can be exploited for their vulnerable status during the trainee period, contents that prevent this and protect and strengthen idols' rights against large agencies must be reflected."

Rep. Kim Jae-won plans to resolve the field problems she has experienced through 'legislation.' Rep. Kim said, "I have been thinking for a long time about how to create a healthy entertainment ecosystem. I also plan to look into standard contracts. I also wrote standard contracts during my singing career. However, all the substantive matters are included in the sub-agreements. I am considering ways to solve the problems, such as introducing a contract notarization system. Of course, since this isn't something I can do alone, I also need to persuade other lawmakers."

※ The next installment will feature an interactive article on the idol industry.

※ This project was supported by the Press Promotion Fund, which was created from government advertising fees.