Kpop Slave Contracts

[@fromfantasy9]

I think it's funny how 90% of "slave contracts" are with SM

[@hawaiianboi33]

While yg artists are doing well lol

[@fromfantasy9]

True true

[@pleng5178]

+Christa Primm BigHit is also nicer to their idols than SM (yeah no sh*t)

[@sherylyaseen1233]

+Mrs. Cliffoconda Nobody dare hurt my baby Bangtan >.

[@nabilazulkhairin9945]

+Mrs. Cliffoconda Yup ^=^

[@VarsityVampire]

Why do people think its JUST about money? Have you seen their Health? Some being cut off from family and friends. "They should have known when they signed" NO, They shouldn't have, no one should have the right to keep you from seeing your loved ones. If their company can hide how much they make, I cant even imagine the other things they can do, threaten members? manipulate their sns? We will probably never know what happens behind closed doors. Now, in terms of this topic, is 2014 a bad year for kpop or is it a year of justice for k idols?

[@manaacass]

How many boygroups debute in a year? How can you be popular and make some money if you are spending your time chatting or with your family or with friend and not promoting? To be the best you have to leave some things aside.

[@sarie2blaze]

Mariel Castro Family can a good emotional and mental support. Idols can only perform their best when they are fine and having access to their family can help that.

[@manaacass]

Courie N so why chinese member sign in a korean company, to live in korea? luhan live 5 yearas before sign and kris 3, so yeah, family is support, but they didnt care about it before.

[@sarie2blaze]

Mariel Castro From what I remembered, EXO-M were promised a lot of promotions in China, they did in 2012 but not so much afterwards

[@diamcole]

I don't think people feel it's just about money, from what I've read the majority acknowledge that the health of the group members is something that should be brought into question as well. I think the focus on money comes from the idea that while yes, it's absolutely horrible that these people have to give up a huge portion of their lives and get cut off from family/friends it's even worse if you have to suffer through that and you're not even being paid fairly. I could rationalize missing out on time with family and friends if I felt like my hard work was paying off. But if I was missing out on that and a fair paycheck, I'd be confused as to why I was doing it at all.

[@thecrystaljoy]

Wow. Between this and the video you guys did about the k-drama industry, I'm amazed people choose to get involved with the Korean entertainment industry at all.

[@temtam8480]

What are aspiring singers, dancers, and actors/actresses in Korea supposed to do? They want to make it big so they're going to do anything to follow their dreams. American Asian artists have a difficult time breaking into the American entertainment industry. Eric Nam even mentioned before that he chose to get into the Kpop industry because it's very difficult to break into the industry in America as an Asian.

[@danieladifoggia9019]

what is the video about kdramas? i didn`t see it!!!!

[@danieladifoggia9019]

what is the video about kdramas? i didn`t see it!!!!

[@sierraahh6522]

Crystal Joy u

[@gunnerchi7238]

Well in Korea, it’s like a fast food job; you need it!

[@nisakml4935]

that moment when ur richer than ur idols

[@kay_skay9590]

This comment is so true and makes me so sad 😔

[@bjannjj7786]

We’re living wayyyyyyyy better lives then them

[@kciee6258]

It’s true but kinda sad

[@kiim28catori28]

This is so unfair and scary at the same time.😣

[@qtee]

YES. Kpop 2014 has changed me SO MUCH. The industry is insane. I used to think it was glamorous and happy and I wished I could enter a company and debut with 4 other girls and have fans etc etc but after this year I will never claim I want to be an idol again. Behind the scenes is scary and heartbreaking to a point where looking at my favorite idols' smiling faces make me want to cry because I know they suffer so much. No wonder they have "bad habits" like drinking and smoking, I don't blame them. It's no joke when they call them slave contracts; they just equal 50% depression and 50% stress.

[@justahuman9273]

Well.... It is very true and sad :/... But! Not every company is like that. That's why i'm yg bias :) (not sure about how exactly the contracts are but it's a loooooot better there, yg at least treats his artists like humans and they get a lot of money)

[@Pandactyl]

Loridana D I saw that YG does a 60-40 rate (60% for the artist, 40% for the company) but I'm not sure if that's accurate.

[@Chioolaaii]

i find it horrifying that most fans never even heard of these before this year (it could already clearly been seen during the time when TVXQ broke up), but i am glad that now more people know ~www~

[@squid6926]

Chantal Anna ok hi i've seen a lot of comments about "2014 Kpop" and it doesn't sound good and i'm slightly confused so if you can explain to me what exactly happened back then i would be very thankful :) if not then it's okay

[@qtee]

memes are lyf theres a video on youtube called "the worst year in kpop" that shows some of it. other things that arent in the video include all sorts of scandals like dating and sasaeng fan reports. eunbi and rise died in september in a car crash because their manager was so damn tired and wasnt fully aware of what was going on. overall, it was a hard and depressing year. a lot of the big events can be tied back to the fact that theyre idols and the industry they live in. it was just a depressing, tough year for everyone

[@ElaineMokk]

The TVXQ feels are coming back Q_Q.. But I'm happy that JYJ brought the issue to the public so we know more about the slave contracts. Thank you Simon and Martina for touching on the topic :3.

[@Juiceski_]

O.O iv'e seen your videos! Didn't know you were into Kpop. I love ur vids tho. :)

[@sherlykarina2518]

Holy crap you like kpop.... Love your vids gurlll

[@ile2928]

Yay you like k pop 😃

[@phant0m0th_]

The SuJu feels are returning and the EXO feels are still fresh in my mind. I'm not ready for EXO's new comeback without Kris and Luhan ;~; I really hope they don't add new members...

[@Tabbi910]

Bethany Francia but even if they did add new members. We should we welcome them open arms because they are just like exo and trying to make a living doing what they love.

[@eatyourkimchi]

We're talking about Kpop Slave Contracts and how they keep their artists unpaid and in an endless cycle of debt for this week's TL;DR.

[@rachellyndsey7040]

You guys look like that weird couple that you don't want halloween candy from, but in the back of your mind your think hell, they seem like okay people and take it anyway! Love ya both and your amazing style!

[@jayalexander7763]

dude awesome beardstache! I bet Koreans are freakn out when they see it lol.... & this is a compliment but you look like a pirate captain (since i love pirates). Very sophisticated bro i tip my hat to you.

[@IvyS1120]

WOW. I had no clue so many groups were treated so badly. I knew it was bad but not so widespread.

[@mwyz]

Hey, this video reminded me of the song Yoochun released on JYJ's first Korean EP. It was basically an 8 minute explanation of why JYJ left SM. In it, he said that even after TVXQ has sold hundreds of thousands of records and become successful in Japan, when the members showed up for their pay day, they hadn't earned any money because all of it had gone towards expenses. You can read the lyrics to the whole song if you look up "JYJ Untitled Song Part 1 lyrics". Or just listen to it.

[@xstephiimex]

wow sounds a billion times worse than student loans

[@haileyr2264]

Koreaboos and new kpop fans need to see this, especially with what happened to jonghyun

[@Alexis-wz6vf]

Jin's Roasted Garlic Yes they sure do. They place these freaking idols under so much stress and treat them like animals. Its sickening. Most of them idols either leave or fall into depression. after what happened with Jonghyun, I'm thinking about going to SK and slapping the shit out of everyone at every single entertainment. Koreaboo's need to stop and start treating their idols like actual humans instead of objects. Its fucking horrifying just knowing that your favorite idol is working his ass off , getting treating like animals while you sit there and watch them put on a fake face. They earn nothing out of being an idol sometimes.

[@julietteeverglow6920]

@@Alexis-wz6vf That's not necessarily true. If you're speaking of material value. Which seems to be the only thing on the minds of people like you. They have fame and are global stars ? So they did gain something

[@freyaporter99]

I'm so torn over how to both support the artists and avoid the bad companies - EXO is one of my favourite kpop groups, but obviously SM are totally screwing them over. I only got into kpop over the last five months or so, so I wasn't around for Kris and Luhan's exit from the group. However, Tao's recent problems really made me aware from the near beginning about how bad that environment was. I guess my question to you guys is this: how do you approach kpop conscientiously?

[@lanaarshad7795]

I was an SM Stan especially an exo-L I loved them soooo much but I couldn't take it anymore SM treat their artists like shit,I'm a YG Stan now i couldn't be more happier

[@san1883]

+Lana Arshad wow you're such a fucking bad fan

[@freyaporter99]

Sandra A How? Being driven away by bad treatment of artists by a company is certainly not a trait of a bad fan

[@ellalovelyella]

I've been a kpop for 12 years now eversince dbsk debut and i didnt even about slave contracts till jyj lawsuit against sm. Nobody expected to happen because everyone thought that sm is a good company and sm is the father of the kpop industry. It really opens me to a whole new perspective of kpop. But what bothers me is that people is blaming lee soo man and not the current ceo of sm. For me, the blames goes to kim young min who started all this shits. Lee soo man did a good job with the artist and with shinee as his last group that debutted under his league, you can see the difference with the new debutted groups. Even so, soo man still has a role in dbsk lawsuit and partly is his fault but sm is actually a good company before the new ceo came screwing all the hard work of lee soo man and his artist. If some one were to take all the blame, kim young min is the man before exo kris, luhan, tao and snsd jessica lawsuit.

[@san1883]

Ella Ismail damn I had no idea that Kim young min is the ceo now, he even looks like an asshole. I want Lee soo man back.

[@DareDB]

This year I interviewed three times with 2 K-Pop companies for potential jobs. I ended up getting passed on because of issues getting a visa for me and meeting foreigner quota within the company. I was really bummed, but since these moments, shit has been hitting the fan constantly and it keeps getting worse. And now I think everything really happens for a reason and that it really wasn't meant to be for me to be in the industry after all, haha. Shit's corrupt, yo.

[@eatyourkimchi]

Were the "issues of getting a visa for you" the "oh we don't want to get you a Visa but you can do a Visa run every few months and we'll pay you under the table"? You don't have to answer that. I just know a lot of foreigners in the entertainment industry working here illegally, because their companies don't want to give them Visas...

[@TheKindcitizen]

Eat Your Kimchi damnnnnn Where is the future? Where is the love? =(

[@shay-in-her-20s]

May I ask what IS the foreigner quota?

[@marbie0214]

shelaya white I think it's about how many foreigners you can employ! So the company won't hire people with less salary from abroad(from China or Thailand). (Like you have to have 10 Korean employee and than you can have one foreigner) At least S.Korea use a similar system in sports e.g in football and in volleyball.

[@eatyourkimchi]

marbie0214 To give a foreigner a visa in Korea, you have to have 6 lifetime employees. Lifetime. Not yearly contracts, like most contracts, but freaking LIFETIME contracts. Which is why it's so hard for us to hire people that don't have Korean visas, because we can't offer anyone a freaking lifetime contract.

[@TinaDavidsson]

So happy you spoke up about this, thank you thank you thank you

[@eatyourkimchi]

Thank you for watching :D

[@TinaDavidsson]

Eat Your Kimchi Any day :)

[@pasteldaze]

I think the worst part of B.A.P's lawsuit is not the underpayment, but the way they were treated by TS. Daehyun's ex-vocal coach tweeted about it and honestly it broke my heart. Device inspections, not being able to see your parents, working non-stop for 3 years to the point where you physically and mentally can't take it anymore, fainting because of exhaustion and being dragged out of the hospital to perform, being threatened into performing after saying you're sick... Isn't that pretty much abuse!? And they were supposed to deal with all of this for 7 years (the length of the contract)??? I'm new to kpop and don't know that much about it. I knew that many groups aren't treated very well, but I had no idea that something like B.A.P's case is even possible. I don't know if it's like that for all groups or if B.A.P is just an extreme case, but if all idols are treated in a similar way, then how can you expect them to just smile and perform like nothing is happening? I now fully support all kpop lawsuits, but most of all I support companies that care about their artists. I'm almost glad B.A.P decided to leave. Idol or not, no one deserves to be treated like that. I hope that they can find a new company and continue making music, but let's be honest, if I was in their place, I would not sign a new contract lightheartedly.

[@MsAsh3070]

Kinda not surprising that after Sojung woke up in the aftermaths of Ladies Code's accident, her first words were an apology for missing her schedule.

[@AnaFiamatta]

It's really upsetting to see idols being treating like dolls. It almost seems like their rights are taken away from them. They're pretty much controlled like dolls with strings and the fact of them wanting to become idols is used by company's advantage to use them until their limits are up. This needs to STOP! Culture or not, this is unacceptable.

[@eatyourkimchi]

Thanks again to Brandon Kinney for taking the time to make English subs for this video!

[@pablodanieljiang961]

+Eat Your Kimchi thank you!!! im deaf too. even though english is not my main language. either way i know english XD good for me! thank you so much, Brandon!

[@XblackMinX]

+Simon and Martina somehow the subtitles are cut off after 2 mins... It's only me?

[@mikhaelaeoliadarmadji7007]

Me too it's only 2 minute but then stopped

[@ShesAaRebel]

This B.E.P. seems like something that should not exist. When I go to a new job and receive training I am PAID to get the training, not the other way around.

[@Siimwe]

Will you get trained for years?

[@Siimwe]

***** I agree it should be transparent. That is one thing that has got to change in kpop. In the western music industry most artists don't make money quickly either but they always know how much they make and how much of the investments the company has made are being paid off. Of course they don't train artists in the west for years. Kpop agencies do invest more in that aspect. Some western artists have become bankrupt because they didn't really care about the business side of the industry and/or were careless.

[@ShesAaRebel]

But isn't being trained for years similar to going to school and getting an education? Why don't they have it like that. Sort of like a bootcamp for 2-4 years, and then start work. Only thing in this case is that the artist has to pay for it themselves. Either through loans, scholarships, or grants, as well as personal money. This way they know how much it will cost, and when it's paid off. After an artist starts work, I don't think they should be paying for any extra training afterwards. NHL hockey players don't have to pay to attend their team practice. Having it be transparent is also key, but there's always more than one way of doing things.

[@Novadestin]

Paid training is very different from BEP. Getting paid for training with companies is not always the case, for one, and you're expected to already have a basic background in the field you're going into - they're, more or less, training you in their companies specific methods, programs, etc (At least, that's how it is from what I've seen in the US). With BEP, companies can have a person starting from total scratch and they're seen as a continual "project" for many years, covering everything from training to clothes to food to accommodations to promotion to management to transportation and on. It's not just "dance/singing lessons and you're good to go". While I do believe investments should be repaid, they are going about things ALL wrong.

[@manaacass]

If you are poor you cant be a singer, that's what you said? People compared it with school, or sport, the school it is paid with money from the people, sport is paid with the sale of ticket or endorsment, but a trainee dont have anything like that, schoolarship? In Korea there are like thousand and thousand of good singers and dancers, and beauties, so and dont think so, and why give money to people that you dont know if they are not going to succeed? It's a big risk.

[@hoangvu5233]

All groups are like that. But the fandom is so stupid to realize that. They keep talking about their hairstyle is so good , their fashion is so nice . But in fact , they cant choose which hairstyle they want and they cant choose which clothe to wear. Because the company dress them . They are like a doll, nothing more , nothing less

[@kevinlim3377]

+Hoàng Vũ in my most honest opinion their hair is the dumbest shit i have ever seen you would only have that in a music video but if you do that stuff in public you look like a clown

[@starryfields5648]

+Kevin Lim ??? What groups have you seen?

[@jahajahai6204]

Exactly

[@managersejinstan1523]

There are "self-producing idols". Who are basically free to write their own songs, make their own choreographies, arrange the melody, put out uncensored mixtapes (that talk about rather controversial topics like mental health) But of course, idol groups like those are under smaller companies

[@qketjdghk5175]

Well no offending you or anything but just saying maybe the fandom know that it's not their choice but choose to support whatever they are forced to be put through because it's better than hating on their new hairstyle and shit

[@DML897]

Big SONE over here. I was never really blind to the "reality" of Kpop, I knew that some sort of bullshit went on behind the scenes. Despite this I feel like the image and fantasy of SNSD and for a lot of Kpop was pretty much destroyed for me. Not only that, but SM has pretty much forced the girls to take the blow for Jessica's departure. No matter who was wrong, SM purposely let SNSD take hits so they as a corporation look good to investors. You can't mess with SNSD, and ironically the ones who did were the company backing them. How the fuck can you go back on that giant catalog of songs and retool them to fit 8? Its awkward as shit and now they're at Tokyo dome. I'm just pissed and really don't care about kpop anymore. Whatever.

[@TheKindcitizen]

=( *sending SONE hugs*

[@thepinksharkgirl9734]

Sone consolation* we feel you

[@NonStopKpop]

Me nright now. :( im legit just replaying snsd songs back from 2007 hahaha

[@eatyourkimchi]

Arabic subtitles are now available! Thank you to whoever made them!

[@eatyourkimchi]

+Simon and Martina Italian subs are now up, too! If you're the same person who's been making all of the Italian subs we've seen put up today, thank you. I know it's a lot of work, and we appreciate it :D

[@Haavva]

I am just thinking about BTS😢😭😖

[@greslay]

+African Queen they have it pretty good, thank god!

[@remazart31]

+Simon and Martina thanks :)

[@Miss0Sema]

Thank you so much for Arabic sub! Thank you

[@Russo143]

Shouldn't the artists have transparency rights regarding their income and the distribution of that said income to their BEP or what not?

[@eatyourkimchi]

That would be the first thing I ask for in such a contract.

[@Russo143]

+Simon and Martina people should thoroughly read any contract they sign or better yet ask for legal advice especially when it's business, because fairness isn't exactly what they aim for.

[@Russo143]

+Simon and Martina awesome vids by the way

[@Midnight0Mistress]

+Russo From what I've learnt about contracts, there usually lean on the one who wrote them, which is why a lawyer is always a good idea when signing one.

[@hawaiianboi33]

Tbh i think the artists probably didnt hire a good lawyer before signing and were already screwed by the time thry wised up. I mean think about it, artists in western music industry as well always get foooed into shitty contracts blinded by the glamour

[@eatyourkimchi]

Thai subs are now up!

[@DoubleNine]

Thanks, guys !!!

[@patta1999]

Omg who did the thai translation! Thai employee?

[@EthanSoFar]

patta1999 Possibly a Thai friend they have? :p Not sure myself but probably that

[@mariarevuelta2417]

patta1999 EXO Exotic Thailand .. she/he LOL did it

[@mariarevuelta2417]

Maria Revuelta he/she volunteered to do it... if you look at some comments below you can see that she asked Simon and Martina if she could sub

[@awkwafish]

Unfortunately, it is like that here in America as well. That is why artists like Mackelmore were so intent on not signing a contract and staying independent. Even distribution independently is hard. iTunes takes something like 50-60% of profits from their downloads. It is so hard to get your music out there, though, if you are independent. Honestly, knowing what I do know about the music industry, I get really defensive when people say bad things about Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. You may not like their songs but they definitely paved a wide road for other artists to make it outside of the industry. Hopefully Korea can experience the same thing soon.

[@eatyourkimchi]

I've always had tremendous respect for people who do things independently, and I'd love to see some Kpop artists go the independent route in the future.

[@awkwafish]

Eat Your Kimchi Do you know if many indie bands/artists make it big? I know 10cm, Standing Egg, and 3rd Line Butterfly were independent and have now made it more mainstream. Glen Check made it on a SISTAR album. But I wonder if they are better off and making more of their royalties.

[@nevermind8064]

Yeah don't fuck with SM... Too bad a lot of my favorite groups and artists come from there.

[@keylime27]

Sammmmmeee, the company sucks, but the artists are so good 😭

[@gaseki]

+Carlie Campos Seriously you believe that these "artists" have any influence on the style and so on? Wouldn't it be more appropriate for the companies to use vocaloid and puppets?

[@lanaarshad7795]

God bless YG entertainment!!!XD

[@Kim-lf5iv]

You know they can just move to another good company!!

[@lilytuffour4944]

+Lana Arshad preach...also jyp and big hit

[@tashacope4663]

Things like this don't put me off kpop music because I still love it and I still love the dances and music videos, it just makes me feel sorry for the members. It makes me wonder what stress and exhaustion they get put through, just to get told they have even more debt than they previously thought. I've seen videos of members almost fainting or being sick on stage because they're unwell but still made to perform, and it makes me angry and sad. I fully support the members of kpop bands, I just wish there was something I could do to help them!

[@sophiekandelaki2462]

I hope these CEOs choke in that money.

[@funpeople6940]

Haha yes

[@Truecrimeresearcher224]

sophie kandelaki that's mean. What did that money ever do. It just gets passed around

[@gleeksunitexo]

thumbs up if simon and martina should start up an EYK kpop company.

[@eatyourkimchi]

Ha! That'd be something...

[@gleeksunitexo]

ha, i'll be your choreographer :-)

[@mia234567]

I think that would be the only way for kpop songs to have correct english in them :v

[@CookieCreatures]

That would be so amazing o3o

[@pedro.mmm9]

I would love that!

[@Legensome]

Simon, you should dye your mustache pink to match with Martina

[@eatyourkimchi]

Hmmm....maybe

[@PreppyAnglican]

Eat Your Kimchi Maybe he should dye it blue to pink, ombré style...

[@emilyluvs6407]

omg I would die.

[@Legensome]

Eat Your Kimchi you could always shave it off! :D

[@kcanter54]

Money is important, but I heard that they don't get to ever see their families, they have absolutely no private time, and they are run so hard in training that some have to be taken to the hospital multiple times. I know that Big Bang has mentioned, very low key, that these problems have all occurred while they were trainees. They had said they hadn't seen their family in 2 years and counting (until they debut and they got to see them) they went to the hospital multiple times, they constantly had workers and cameras in their rooms, they were not allowed to date, they could only spend 5,000 won (about $5) a day on food, and often were starving, and they didn't get an option when it came to how they dressed and acted, not to mention no money. All of this hell was paid back when they shot to the top (haha top) and made so much money, that they did get to climb out of their BEP but GD and Taeyang trained for 6 YEARS! That's 6 years of total hell!

[@MrUndjee]

both of them are rich now

[@doomslatte]

Conclusions: all companies are fucked up in one way or another, some may be less fucked up, and some might just have better PR.

[@poprockdude930]

Nahhh most of the money YG artist make they get to keep. Jyp also has equal distribution. Only sm and cube still treat their artist like shit.

[@doomslatte]

Umm have you heard about Minzy, Gummy, Jay Park, etc? It's not just about payment distribution.

[@andre-cmyk]

+BossForDays Cube treats people badly? I want some examples.

[@doomslatte]

Are you new to Kpop because Cube fans have been complaining about the company since years ago

[@andre-cmyk]

+doomslatte No, I like Kpop for about 2 years now. I guess it is just uncommon to me as I don't watch thaaaat much Cube related stuff.

[@edwinatakasaki2258]

And here we are in 2022 with the National Assembly attempting to pass a bill regarding payment transparency because of events surrounding Lee Seung Gi. There is likely too much influence to get the bill passed but there is a lot of conversation about it on the institutional level, which is much more than just "talk" on social media, which seems to happen year in/year out. If smart people continue to push it through the proper committees, hopefully change can happen.

[@TonyMGantt]

I read SM's old contract : -SM Artists will follow the instructions of the assigned manager unconditionally. Contracts and promises of activities CANNOT be undone personally. -You are NOT allowed to reveal anything that goes on in the inside to anyone on the outside. -If there area any setbacks or failures to do a broadcast or performance without a good reason, SM Artists are responsible for the disruption. -A regular album should be produced twice a year. -6 months before the end of the contract, a new album must be released. All entertainment activities should be accomplished. -Any 3rd parties that would like to write (a song) for the SM Artists will have to get a permission from SM. However, even without getting the consent of the artist, SM can give any singer inside SM the song artist produced themselves. -Any days an activity is postponed due to personal reason, those days will be ADDED on to the length of the contract. -50,000-1000,000 copies sold = 2% (ONLY) of the revenue 100,000-2000,000 copies sold = 3% (ONLY) of the revenue 2000,000 and above = 5% (ONLY) of the revenue Of course, the percentage of the revenue given, will be split accordingly within the group members. (The MORE the members, the LESSER the pay) -If you are NOT a permanent guest of a show you will NOT get paid for the appearance on that certain show. (The show STILL gives its “Talent Fee” but it won’t get paid to the SM Artist guested on the show, instead, on SM) -In the event of early termination (means, you still hasn’t complete the contract years) The SM Artists will PAY 3 TIMES what SM invested in them and 2 TIMES the revenue they will miss out on, even if they agreed on the termination and even if it’s SM’s fault. -SM Artists manager, food, costs, coordinator costs will ALL BE PAID BY THE ARTISTS. cr: xx002/based on unknownname's post couldn't have been me!!!!! Plus why would artist's pay for their own manager if they are suppose to be covered by their record label and paying 3 times what SM invested into me? Wow. I would sue them dry!

[@10qwe10]

Yeah the contracts were bad but I still have to say this makes it look worst than it really was. Like for example how much they get paid from album sales looks bad but it is pretty much the same way all around the world. The fact is artists don't really get paid much from album sales no matter where they are from. Then there is that Variety show thing. There have been some articles before how some smaller companies complained that they can't make any money even though they get their idols on variety or music shows because the Talent fee is so little that it barely covers their expenses. So it is same with SM and TVXQ case talent fee goes to SM and they use it to cover their expenses. So basically SM isn't really making any money when TVXQ goes to variety shows even though they get the talent fee. Variety shows are just for promotion purposes not making money. and this "SM Artists manager, food, costs, coordinator costs will ALL BE PAID BY THE ARTISTS" isn't true. How it works is that there is revenue TVXQ activities has generated then from that revenue they take out all the expenses: managers, food, rent, stylist etc.. after that they are left with the profit. Then SM and TVXQ split that profit. and the profit split for exmaple from concerts/events, CFs, acting on Dramas/Musicals/Movies, being permanent member on Variety shows, being Radio DJ/Show MC in Korea were that TVXQ got 65% and SM got 35% of the profit and in overseas like in Japan for example TVXQ got 70% and SM got 30% of the profit.

[@sgcl10658]

Artists don't usually get paid much for album sales, its like that all over the world, they make money in concerts and commercials, but they need great album sale to boost their popularity.

[@TonyMGantt]

10qwe10 Um no. Just like the video says, artists have BEP's. SM DOES NOT pay for managers, food costs coordinator cost or anything of that such due to the fact that they pile all of that up to your BEP. Just like Simon says you can't pick who you want they pick the people for you at any price and they automatically add it to your BEP. Your record label is basically to help protect you and to keep you safe from any legal actions and for you to make money for them. It's basically a give and take.

[@10qwe10]

Tony M. Gantt I didn't say SM pays them. Like for example if TVXQ had a tour and it generated 10 million USD revenue then SM subtracts from that venue rents, transport costs, food, managers/stylist salaries, all those people who build the stage for the concerts, back up dancers, hotel bills etc... all the expenses. Then they left let say 2 million USD which is the net profit. Then SM and TVXQ split that. TVXQ get 1,4 million and SM gets 600 000 USD. 30/70 split like it was in the contract. Of course if TVXQ was still a new group let say 1 year old who haven't yet paid their training debt back to SM then SM would take all that 1,4 million USD and TVXQ wouldn't get nothing

[@leecixxi9226]

All that bullshit made my head hurt.

[@minilc888]

My opinion has changed towards kpop over the past year or so, but it's partly because my taste of music has changed (more towards k-indie or r&B/rap) and I don't like many kpop song anymore. I think this is related to the corruption with these companies though 'cause, for example, with all the sexy concepts lately for female groups, they're just exploiting these young womens' bodies and making it less about how good the music is. I think this reflects the fact that some of these companies are just in it for the money. All in all, 2014 was not a good year for kpop, as you guys said.

[@NamoriOri]

I totally agree.The original kpop appeal seems to have worn down and the concepts are very repetitive and boring these days. Plus all of the added drama and mistreatment of their artists has been drawing me away little by little. It's very sad to watch.

[@tomomo285]

I jhope kpop gets rid of slave contracts and start being fair. Edit: I'm not changing the fact hope autocorrected to jhope

[@haileyr2264]

Nari 나리 it's okay when I type in "btw" it always autocorrects to "bts" and I just keep it lol

[@periodt3670]

whenever i type in “rose”, (as in the flower), it ALWAYS autocorrects to Rosé. oh well.

[@lynnkueh]

I trust that Big Hit treats BTS well. They are given the artistic freedom and they seem really happy. I just pray the members start earning their salaries soon.

[@thejibooty5993]

+lynn kueh How do you know? I really like BTS, but when I watch and rewatch all their videos, you can see they're working too much, Jimin said sometimes he sleeps only 3h a day :/

[@chilin2023]

+MinJI Myork They are working hard especially Suga (w/c usually pulls all nighters to work on their music ) it is because it is his own choice, to compose and I feel that he is sincere when he said that. in terms of BEP. I trust bighit in that. I mean look at our boys now! BTS also loves their company and bang shi hyuk pd nim xD check out rapmon's message in melon 2015 awards after they won best male dance performance

[@thejibooty5993]

+Celine Lague I saw that! :) I'm really happy and feel so proud of them. Because they could be the ones to change kpop game. BTS did work themselves up and their efforts are starting to shine..

[@chilin2023]

MinJI Myork yess omg. And I can see that you're still an avid fan of bts too. Thank you :') and I'm proud of ARMYs for working hard *le hugs fandom* XD

[@One_Winged_Warrior]

Agreed! BTS are my first and foremost favourite group. They are the ones that actually introduced me to kpop. Seeing the way perform, act with each other and with the fans really makes me believe they are treated well 😊

[@tori6678]

When you don't want to support SM at all but SNSD is the light of your life (つД`)ノ

[@CoolaidMix]

same

[@vaan3639]

+Torri X Or when you want to stop supporting SM but EXO saved your life ~_~

[@meiiruma]

But by supporting soshi you support sm, so you either help sm or not help gg; -;

[@andthatsalongassride5420]

I just can't support Sm ;-; One of my favorite bands is Exo and I have read how badly they treat them. Apperantly, the members were forced to unfollow the members that left. Chanyeol refused to. They apperantly hit him and he had to wear a mask on stage. How can I support a company like that?

[@TheSnapistChannel]

+Manha Trash ;-; Omg seriously? Where'd you hear this?

[@craniumbear]

when I first started watching your vids I was very judgmental but the more i watch them the more i love you 2.

[@eatyourkimchi]

That's awesome! I'm glad we could convert you TO THE DARK SIDE BUAHAHAHAHA

[@gabrielleebanks9916]

+Simon and Martina I'm sure that was you that commented.MARTINA

[@k-musictrash356]

Simon and Martina When is the llama coming back?

[@TheKraziiGuy]

This year has been just a burnt mess in K-POP. It has, to some extent, changed my perspective on the industry but at the same time it didn't because coming from a more western culture, I knew from the getgo that the K-POP industry is quite fabricated and things don't always appear the way it seems. Slave contracts are not a new thing in the music industry. An example that comes to mind is TLC and Toni Braxton's situation back in the 1990s. I think K-POP artists are suffering from the same problem but on a much larger scale because of the lack of information given to them about the investments. It's absolutely terrible how far a company will go for selfish and greedy reasons. I wish all the artists the best and hope for a better future in working conditions within the industry. I also hope for companies to promote self-development and artist-development. I'd like to know idols for who they are rather than who they're pushed to be (but I'm pretty sure that's just a pipe dream for now)

[@Darklighter152]

Yay! You mentioned TLC. I remember when Left Eye was explaining how even though they sold 10 million records, they still had to file for bankruptcy because the distribution of profit went towards costs of production, tax, and the company before splitting it with the actual group, which is only 3 girls.

[@andyloves9668]

yes I was thinking of tlc while watching this

[@alextran1954]

Initially I thought the kpop industry was pretty great they train you, improve your physique, and you get the experience of being an idol traveling and performing too. But as the years progressed since I've begin listening to kpop I've realized how manipulative fake and deceitful the industry is. Mutiple cases of bands disbanding, regrouping into a new company, loosing members, etc have made me research more into the lawsuits. Aoa, Block B, Super Junior, EXO, B.A.P what more examples do you need to see that they mistreat their workers wether it be racial discrimination, improper payment, overworking till the point of collapsing etc.. It looks all fun with the weird hair colors, colorful shiny suits, oddly light box room MVs, and 360 slow mo cameras but it's not that glorious

[@NaMyCwAlKiN]

racial discrimination?

[@alextran1954]

In Luhans recent lawsuit one of the reasons was different treatment and contracts between the Chinese members and Korean members

[@Maximusprime24]

It's literally like this in every entertainment industry

[@NaMyCwAlKiN]

alex tran oh i see

[@Anessa64222]

What's happened with AoA if you don't mind me asking. I know the issues with the rest of the groups but haven't heard much about AoA, I'd think they're being treated decently since a couple of the girls weren't made to continue practicing when they injured themselves and the other had a family member pass away and she got time off, but wow, what's going on with their company?

[@lc7592]

I hope my favorite: BTS, GOT7, and VIXX are being treated well. They work so hard and they are amazing. I feel worried🙁🙁

[@lc7592]

+Xuewei Ni I also believe that JYP is better than most. But VIXX looks to tired, I often see them having dark red circles. GOT7 looks like they are having fun. BTS are mostly happy, crazy, and do stupid funny things.

[@Midnight0Mistress]

I wish I could say the same with Exo

[@wangpuppy917]

OMG! We have the same favorite groups! My #1 is GOT7 :D

[@lc7592]

+Pan Zakuro :) I like Jackson from GOT7

[@nadinetantohardjono6870]

Hahaha you have the same favourites as me XD

[@ricewaterfalls8237]

I love the picture of "Please Don't" in the background! I also love your the "stay calm and eat your kimchi" "thing" as well!!

[@HoneyBii]

Glad you guys are shining some light on this topic since a lot of news has been going around this year about groups and members leaving! You guys did a great job filling us in on whats going on :) Also, that is horrible about Orphans waiting for the parents to come back... I can't even imagine :(

[@TheYambo121]

Ooo, interesting topic, thanks for sharing :) I really wanted to find out more about this

[@eatyourkimchi]

Hopefully we help explain it a bit :D

[@shirousako3450]

simon's mustache reminds me of pringles...i'm hungry

[@eatyourkimchi]

HAHAHAHA. Yes. I look like the Pringles Can Guy :D

[@OranJJeTofu]

I'm proud of my JYJ babies for starting this trend. So many artists are mistreated and I guess once the mega enormous biggest band in Asia demanded respect, others realized they need respect as well. Hopefully everything ends alright for BAP!

[@ssongjieun1684]

I've been in the kpop scene since 2009 and seeing all these changes is pretty scary. There are idols who are in love with what they're doing and are so passionate about it, but on the other hand there are idols who you could see in their eyes that they're not happy. I just wish that things could all turn out for the best for them. They're going through so much and as fans we always need to support them ! ♡

[@Chanelarponen]

I am so incredibly grateful for this video and all the information you guys have shared with us other k-pop fans. Because this really breaks down the illusion k-pop companies wish to create for the world and shows a lot of the true actions going on behind the scenes!

[@Nione]

My first, "Wow, Seriously?" Moment was when seeing the dorms of Nana from Orange Caramel and Chan-yeols from Exo and their work schedules on Roommate. I enjoy the music and want to support them, but felt like they were not financially seeing any of it for all their hard work. It makes you not want to buy the albums if the artists aren't going to see any of the money from them. On the other side I think of YG Artists and feel the exact opposite. I like buying YG music, because i feel the artists are well promoted and supported. I get that not everyone can be BigBang, but how many members have had their own place? How many get royalties off songs they write? You actually see them travel, do things outside of work, and GD will even flash his Lamborghini from time to time. You can look through their growth and see how their hard work paid off and how YG made sure they received their fair part. I'm admittedly YG biased, but there is a reason for it.

[@TheRenflower]

You should check The richest idols of Korea list :)

[@TheRenflower]

And plus, GD is both idol and producer, i love his old jobs, he deserved plus money on his works so, Lamborghini is the best car even exist:))

[@Zafer7love]

After JYJ and HanGeng SM did change for SURE... else, how would suddenly all the SJ members have money to buy shops, and all the snsd members to buy all those houses? At SM you just have to wait your time now. and obviously Kris and Luhan didn't wait for that. But again Exo's profit is not as big as TVXQ or SJ, because SM doesn't have to invest much in those two they bring in the money. Need money? Send TVXQ to Japan. Need even more? Add even more dates to the Taiwanese step of Super Show... And don't put Jessica and Sulli here, because Sulli is back! And it was not SM's decision clearly to send Jessica away. Because they are not idiots they know it means less money for them plus she is still under the company. What bothers me all of these lawsuits are focused on the money, how much they should have earned. How about you focus on that you could have died if you continue this for 2 more years huh BAP? Same thing for Kris or Luhan. Pretty much the only one which i have seen was not focused on money was HanGeng's, the only main point about money in his was when he had to pay SM when he was late from somewhere... even if he came from the hospital. And yes JYJ is blocked, because they need a group like that so the Korean artists are all scared to leave SM now. But why would they because now they earn more than before 2009. The only companies i see actually paying their artists are SM, YG and JYP, the rest not so much... maybe Cube.... yeah, but FNC is also considered one of the bigger ones yet AoA earns nothing, but i guess in the future......... but when? All everyone needs to realize it's not SM the bad company... it's EVERYONE.

[@jaeflwer]

B.A.P worked without a rest from those 2 years and one member was even pulled out from the hospital and forced to perform in sick condition. For B.A.P besides money, there's also health issue. >.> So ya, I don't think B.A.P would survive for another 2 years lmao.

[@Zafer7love]

***** from where if SM doesn't pay them? because for example Eunhyuk comes from the poorest family in SM's history. After HanGeng left they had to get better pay.

[@Zafer7love]

***** i know, i just wanted to write a number, but it's really bad with their health issues i think they should focus on that, it's easier to win the case like that, they have to win it, so they get rid of that company and TS might change a bit...

[@jaeflwer]

Zafer7love Well, they're having lawsuit against TS for being under a slave contact. So I assume health issues are addressed too, just that they emphasized on the money part. I read some articles and health issues were included too. :)

[@minniemouseluv100]

U have to take into consideration that older groups like gg and super junior had less groups against cuz today there's like a group coming out every week and the artists are pushed even harder to get everything done. But ya just my opinion

[@simpleplanfan27]

Wow, I didn't know any of this. This truly sucks :(

[@blowout4465]

+Sniffles me too , its really sucks

[@MrsSasukeUchiha]

im just as shocked as you are...that's bs that their going through...they named a few groups i really like...i hope things get better for them...😔

[@cynbo05]

Glad you talked about it. On one of the reality shows, the hosts dropped in unexpectedly at a kpop artist's home. This singer is well known(he did a couple of dramas too). But I was shocked to see that he lived in a very small room in small apartment that he shared with other artists. He was living poorly for a celebrity. These singers must put up alot and maintain a smiling face when they are in front of the camera. It is terrible how their agencies treat them.

[@MarissachmBlogspot]

Thank you so much Simon & Martina for covering this topic. This video has really inspired me even more to work towards my goal of running my own artiste management company some day and hopefully make a difference in the entertainment industry.

[@buseira]

Its no question. Money is the reason for all horrible and good things. Money is the reason why we have cancer, its the reason why people have depression, its the reason why Kpop idols are leaving. Its the reason for EVERYTHING. Yes, it does bring Joy but only temporarily. But the horrible things OUTWEIGH the good.

[@mayluo9449]

I like how serious and interesting this topic is and most these comments are about simon's mustache

[@randomjenn5004]

This is so sad.... and even worse my favorite groups are from SMent., which doesnt treat the groups well....

[@krishmabuwakul2088]

First off, I wanted to thank you soooooooo much for making this video! I've been looking for this kind of information for A LONG TIME!!!! Personally, I've been considering going into the kpop industry, but it was always a toss up between Kpop and Thai-pop. Considering I'm half thai, it would make more sense to go into the thai industry, but I like kpop more....soooooo...yeah. But I hadn't made any big choices yet because I'm the kind of person who loves to do the research first and I really wanted to know the money aspect of it all! I couldn't find this info ANYWHERE!!! But this video helped me A LOT so thank you! Also, I wanted to point out that it's not just the entertainment industry in South Korea that has the B.E.P. system. Now, I'm no expert on this, but when I was working for a South Korean family, they were trying to convince my dad to work as an english teacher in South Korea. What the company would do was pay for my father and his family to move to South Korea and pay for his housing and utilities and any school suppilies and text books and would pay him for his work, but most of what he earned for working would go to pay off the B.E.P. for the airline tickets and housing and utilities and school supplies. The debt is a lot easier and faster to pay off than in the entertainment industry, but I just wanted to point that out. I'm not an expert, like I said, but that's what Mr. Park was telling me.

[@resolutionblue2751]

Thanks so much for talking about this; particularly explaining BEP. I was a big fan of TVXQ so when they broke up I first heard about slave contracts so 2014 hasn't really changed my view of kpop. If anything, it confirmed my fears that even the most influential groups are not immune to mistreatment. In this light, 2014 may be viewed as a year of rebelling against such mistreatment which I am happy artists can do in hopes of a better future. Hoping for their success and happier times in 2015!

[@FairyMoondoll]

This just remind me of the prostitution industry, where people are promised a good future in a foreign country but then when they arrive to this country, there's no job for them and they are forced into prostitution in order to pay for the expenses it costed to get them into the country. And then they end up getting trapped in this evil circle where they can't get out bc they never know when they've paid off their debt

[@jazzingirl]

Sounds like a massive scam

[@SalvationinCHRISTalone888]

9/28/2020: and really NOTHING HAS CHANGED....NOTHING AT ALL.

[@TheCurlygirly14]

This was a very mind-opening and interesting TL;DR. I didn't know that the contracts were so horrible and that so many artists had left the industry. This makes me feel guilty for supporting the Kpop industry, because I love their music but the poor groups have to suffer slightly due to their fans' support... Hopefully the companies will change and improve their contracts due to all the artists who have left their groups and companies this year.

[@Ashxcii]

For a while now I've been wondering how K-Pop contracts work. Finally some light shed on the situation. Thanks Simon and Martina! :)

[@RyanneMonique]

The lack of transparency is absurd. Where is the mutual respect and trust here? Out the window and thrown at the bottom of the ocean. I really do hope some companies realise that it's not just about money, and that these artists are not money-making machines.

[@Linny95]

Then why would a K-pop idol agree to sign a slave contract?

[@Sermalla]

True! Most of them probably didn't fully understand the contract. They were focused on the lies said by the company and signed. Regular people in America do this on a daily basis were they sign a contract for a mortgage loan or student loan without fully understanding the fine print.

[@Linny95]

They sign the contract before they're trained. Once they sign a contract, then the company invests in the idol and trains them. That's what EYK said in the video. If they're too young to understand a contract and what it says, then where were their parents?

[@Sermalla]

Good catch. The parents are just as clueless of the contract details as the child. They are also focused on the child achieving their dreams. There are some bad parents who want their children to be famous so bad they are willing to put the child through hell to get it.

[@eatyourkimchi]

Also, contracts aren't also made to be clear. In our own personal experiences, a lot of sketchy contracts are made to seem vague so that the company presenting them can adjust it as they please. Not all companies are around to be moral, some of them are just big money grabbing a$$holes.

[@Linny95]

Eat Your Kimchi Thanks for the reply

[@323Felicity]

Wow under 301 for the 1st time ever, whoot! But in all seriousness, what can Kpop fans be doing about this situation? I mean, you want to buy records to support your favorite artists, but then to find that you're not really supporting them at all, what are we supposed to do?

[@eatyourkimchi]

I really don't know, apart from voting with your wallet.

[@chibigamer522]

Maybe petitions or raising awareness? idk. It's a start.

[@pao4700]

First off thanks so much SImon and Martina! This video is really informative. To be honest it wasn't really until Jessica was removed from Girls' Generation that I began to look at Kpop differently. My main problem with the situation is how messily it was handled and ultimately the lack of transparency. Even though SM released an official statement it was still unclear as to what exactly happened. Unfortunatley a lot of kpop groups come across as very manufactured. It is groups like 2NE1, Big Bang and most recently AKMU that come across as having more control over their music and image than typical kpop groups.

[@ANNABELLEPOP]

This is so eye-opening omg. Thank you guys for this, I think this is something we all need to watch

[@SCW95]

Has anyone seen 30 Seconds to Mars' Documentary 'Artefact'? i recommend it, it's really good. It films the time when they were being sued $30 million by their own record label. They too have never seen any of the money made by the 3 albums they made (2 of which were globally successful) and are still classed as around $2 million in debt to their label, amassing debt every album they made. They explained it all in the movie and i just think its interesting the similarities in their situation (and probably many other western artists) to Koreas 'slave' contracts.

[@randomjenn5004]

This applies especially to the company SM entertainment which is sad because my favorite groups are from that company. SM not only are not paying fairly but they are not fair in general. For example, f(x), they dont get enough popularity which they have the talent to, because SM doesnt care. I was and still am dissapointed because all the kpop groups dont deserve this. 😐

[@DJBestBoi]

I'm not too big on the kpop scene but why do people want to get into this industry given the awful things some of these companies do?

[@glassXmoon]

It's like how people would say they'd sell their soul for fame. This... is LITERALLY it.

[@meiiruma]

Purely to achive their lifelong dream, some people take the risks no matter what eg park our extremeists

[@ubiquitous_star584]

Most people want to live up to their dream. They want to achieve it. Not to mention quite a few of them are born into it. Take Sunny from Snsd as an example, lots of people in her family are famous. Also Krystal from F(x), her sister was a trainee so she was with Sm since the age of five.

[@huffletuff7]

I kept hearing good things about this video so finally I came over and watched it. It's very informative. I had heard about break even point with kpop artists before but didn't know much about how it worked. All I really knew was that the company invested a certain amount of money on the artist and then once they debuted they had to pay if back before earning much money for themselves. However with that description it should seem like the money will get paid back after not too long and then they can start earning money, but that's obviously not what was happening a lot of the time. This video really helps explain what the actual situation is with BEP for many artists.

[@fictionclaw]

It's heartbreaking to know and see how bad some kpopstars are treated. But my view on the artists doesn't change. I think there are a lot of incredibly talented people amongst the kpop crowd who worked their butt off to get where they are. Who are talented and sincere about their craft. I already hated SM ent (I loved tvxq so much!), now that these things are getting more attention, I hope things change for the better. I'm saddened by the bad treatment of people who make me smile. If only they were cherished rather than used for profit. Thanks for your explanation on this! Hope this gets the word out even more!

[@mochimochi82]

Wow. This is just enraging. Way worse than I thought, especially the BEP keeps growing part. Just yesterday, with Exo's BIG win at MAMA, I was hoping that SM is taking good---or decent--care of the remaining 10 members. You know what they say, "One is an Accident, Two is a Trend, Three is a Problem." The amount of revenue those guys have generated and continue to make for SM must be sick. If Exo members have been getting ripped off at the magnitude you describe, and they've now seen by example that there's a potential way out, Lee Soo Man is an idiot if he doesn't fix that pronto.

[@khairinayasmine]

Kim Young Min is now the CEO of SM, if I'm not mistaken. And he's so cruel that he thinks that idols aren't human but the company robots. Lee Soo Man takes more considerate steps in terms of taking care of the idols. But Kim Young Min only cares for money. About Kris and Luhan leaving EXO is actually a very contradictive topic for me; it opened my eyes that kpop industry needs to be fixed yet it leaves scars bc I can't look at exo without feeling painful :(

[@tsubasangel]

Yasmine YK I've already rambled a lot on other websites about how Lee Soo Man defenders should just stop. Kim Young Min wasn't even CEO when JYJ or Hangeng left. To paint Lee Soo Man as if he is a saint is wrong. In reality even though Kim Young Min is also at fault he is only being Lee Soo Man's scape goat. you really think 1 man that came around in like 2010 really caused ALL this damage? that's a mistake, Lee Soo Man owns most of SM stock, there is a board in charge of SM, all of those in charge of SM are at fault and yes the one who is still most powerful in SM is Lee Soo Man still because he is the 'respected' founder and the one who owns most stock in the company.

[@warriorwolfehh]

What types of fantasy creatures are thought to exist in Korea? What is fantasy mythology like there? Do they have specific dragon types that originated from Korea or like old Korean tales of creatures that lived in the woods etc. Kinda like Greek mythology and stuff. WHAT DOES KOREA HAVE MYTHOLOGICAL-WISE? basically.

[@eatyourkimchi]

YAY A NOT SAD TLDR!

[@warriorwolfehh]

Eat Your Kimchi YEAH! :D

[@kelseyjessee3330]

I was actually going to ask the same question. My older sisters are Korean-American, (from my father's previous marriage) and Korean culture has been a part of our family for as long as I can remember, but when I've asked them about more obscure things like this, they haven't been able to tell me much. It has been quite a long time since my dad lived in Korea (he misses it very badly), and it would be nice to share some of this info with him. :D

[@zeirakanekivwoods8620]

BLESS YG ENT. AND BIG HIT / JYP ENT.

[@vytautasval523]

+Zeira Kaneki V Woods Please. It's the same with every company.

[@lilytuffour4944]

+Zeira Kaneki V Woods preach

[@zeirakanekivwoods8620]

Vytautasval523 I know ^^

[@zeirakanekivwoods8620]

Memee MizzFit (YUS TG XD) and Yes I Agree

[@elyeliza6479]

+Vytautasval523 then why no artist is suing these companies for contract nullification and unfair treatment ?????

[@christinab.9427]

it's really cool that you guys talked about this. you have more of an inside on this anyway, and though everyone has their opinion, it also helps to shed light on how the companies work. and of course, everyone is in it for the money so it will become a major deal for both artist and the company. 2014 has just been a bad year in the kpop world no matters what.

[@meowitsmartha]

Thank you so much for making this video! 2014 has been a tumultuous year for the Kpop industry, but these things need to happen if anything is going to change. I'm also hoping for better working conditions and wages for Kpop idols because they definitely deserve better for all the work they're putting in for these companies. I'm also hoping that fans can learn to vote with their money, since that's one of the only ways to get a company's attention.

[@Julymakeska0s]

OMG Martina hairstyle is like soo cool! I love it!

[@Julymakeska0s]

It reminded me of Rapmmonster from BTS!!!

[@ChibiKawaii3]

also, could you guys talk about american television (or any non-korean shows) in korea? Do they watch any non-korean shows? What do they think about western television?

[@ChibiKawaii3]

thanks, that doesn't entirely answer my question..

[@ChibiKawaii3]

I just want to know what they have, what is popular and the perspective and opinions of it.

[@jampark92]

Although 2014 was the worst year for KPOP, it did not change my mindset of KPOP what so ever. Because I already knew that KPOP was a big jungle shit that people will be getting into and I was already aware of what was going on behind the stage. It's no surprise that huge chunk of groups are disputing the company because it was bound to happen sometimes. I'm glad they're suing the crap out of their company because then less group will be released and more companies that actually care about their artists will survive at the end. I hate seeing these random groups from these random entertainment releasing a very generic and boring; or sometimes the music sounds like pure shit but still promoting it by showing excessive amount of skin in music videos or very erotic dance moves that tends to always get banned. I want to see more quality music being released and through this dispute I think we'll see some improvements since entertainments that get sued will be releasing less groups.

[@JazzyBVB]

I'm doing a research project in school and the problem I chose was how celebrity culture specifically in the U.S influences and conflicts with Korean culture among Korean Idols in harmful ways, and this will help my research sooooooo much!! Thank you so much, I'll definitely cite you guys as a source

[@KristenPimley]

MARTINA! YOUR HAIR! SO COOL! ...But in comment to the content of the video, I'm absolutely shocked to the situation. Thank you for bringing light to this occurence; I really didn't know much about the mistreatment in the business.

[@AsellusPrimus]

To be honest, the dark TL;DR's are the most interesting.

[@BreannaBaozi]

I would think that it would be illegal or morally wrong to lie to an employee for money purposes. If they want to know how much debt they owe, then just tell them straight up! Also, i know that some groups get paid little to nothing, but the clothes they wear probably costs more than their monthly salary! They might get sponsored by other companies or get gifts from fans, but still, that's insane to wear 1000$ jacket if you only make 400$ a month. I would sell the jacket to get extra money, to be honest.

[@demonswilldrown]

Most sponsorship contracts would have a clause where you cannot lend or sell the items given to you because it breaks "the exclusivity" of their brand, specially when it's high end clothing. They would rather have a ridiculously expensive fashion item completely obliterated than having the "wrong people" wear it publicly or the item having some kind of defect.

[@firstavenuegoer]

Can you do a Tldr about sanitary pads and tampons in Korea? Is it like in the U.S. Where you can just get it in your local stores or do you need to get it from a doctor?

[@amyzhao5214]

I still really love Kpop, and still want to be a Kpop star. Though, this does remind me to read over everything if I do get a contract to sign and to chose the right company, thanks Simon and Martina! You guys are the best!

[@twimatt]

First of all, I just want to thank you guys again for taking this topic on, it's a very important topic and I feel like everybody should know this. Secondly, my view of kpop haven't changed at all, but that's because it was you two (and an online friend) who introduced it to me, and so, directly from the start I knew about the flaws in the industry that you have told us about. And I am so happy about that. Honestly. I'd rather enjoy something and know about the struggles that came with making it, than enjoying something and only later on being told that 'oh you know, blood, sweat and tears went into making this product. Like, literally'. But then, I also started listening to kpop like a week after Ladies Code's accident, so that has also been a 'don't forget' factor.

[@jannn421]

B.E.P kinda sounds like sharecropping to me- is that just me or have i been staring at my history book for too long?

[@alexanderson3986]

I thought the same thing, but more with indentured servitude.

[@ItsMeNijntje]

I honestly don't think 2014 is 'the worst year' for kpop. Kpop Idols are finally rising up against their companies who treat them badly. (is that correct English?) But I'm scared to death for what's gonna happen with BAP :(

[@Ashxcii]

True. I'd probably say it's 'the worst year' for K-Pop fans, rather than K-Pop in general (which I would like to believe has both good and bad effects). It's very heartbreaking to see a group that once was 12 becoming 10, a group that once was 9 becoming 8, and so on. Especially after having watched them for so many years on music shows and variety programs.

[@iheartkyungsoo]

Can you guys pleaseee talk about religion in Korea because I'm very curious as to the distribution of different religions and whether or not they're practised etc. I know nowadays religion is a sensitive topic, but it is still very interesting to talk about in a respectful manner, as well as in an unbiased way. I think this would be especially relevant as Christmas is coming up soon and there are many Kpop Christmas albums/ special concerts+advertising, but does all this take into consideration the actual religion? Thank you guys and I hope this can be answered someday :)

[@katecutiekat]

I just got into the world of kpop June this year so I'm fairly new to all this. I have been very active in keeping up with the news so I think I know a fair amount about the industry. I have come to love a lot of groups and I have seen the light side of kpop. But when it comes to looking at companies and these slave contracts, I realize how corrupted the kpop world is. I feel like taking myself out but I have sincerely come to love some bands. Because I care about these bands it hurts to hear that some of them are treated like this. Finding out about all this has shifted my perspective about the kpop industry. We might think these bands are just living the life (luxury, fame, fortune) but in reality they are just trying to preserve through struggle and pain. The truth almost all of them are suffering in order to live out their dreams, and it's sad. The worst part is that most of the time i want to support the artists but not so much the corrupt companies, so it becomes a love-hate situation.

[@TheSilentViridianFla]

Hearing about this makes me so torn about supporting my favorite K-pop artists now…

[@itsjusmeqtpie]

Wouldn't it be awesome if eatyourkimchi ultimately owned an entertainment company themselves and all the Kpop Stars seeking for a better life would switch over to their company and EYK can support them fairly?! Idk it would be a nice long term project they could consider hehe..

[@AegyoB2ST]

Now I'm kind of understand the truth~ Make sense and I don't have anything to argue about~ But, even though 2014 have so many bad thing happened, I still love my kpop boys group~ It's their company fault~ not them~ They only entertain me with their songs and their unpredictable silly action~ It's hurt to know about this kind of thing happen to them but what they want is justice for themselves~ And I think people shouldn't call them as betrayal or what~ Thank you for these explanation~ At least people will stop make their own speculation~

[@asteroides8204]

BTS has sold so many albums and concert tickets recently. Hope they're being paid well :(

[@hoangvu5233]

+Marie Zac i dont think so lol

[@waldoswife.4485]

:/ that's kinda rude..

[@kiracloud4053]

Huh? How's that rude?

[@rashisingh6104]

Bighit treats their idols like real humans. BTS are given a lot of freedom. Not only BTS, all idols are treated very nicely. Though we call them bigshit, they're actually very nice.

[@rozaperwol7585]

A bit late for a reply but how do you know? This video doesn't only apply to SM. BTS might seem happy and shit on videos but that's how they supposed to act when there's a camera. Just like you don't see them swearing every time on camera, but you know they do swear off the camera. Same with idol companies and their contracts. You don't know what's going on behind close doors.

[@jijitsudayon]

great video guys!! it's good to bring things like this into light because a lot of fans refuse to accept the reality

[@vivianhenderson]

I'm still very much into K-Pop. The way I see it is that the artists are still talented and entertaining. It is the under-handed companies and labels that I dislike. The unfair business dealings haven't turned me away from the great music. Eat Your Kimchi is cool for posting these interesting and important videos.

[@emilynguyen186]

Has anyone noticed that YG has no problems? I'm pretty sure he's leik the most fair entertainment owner and treats all his artists fairly. Notice how Yongguk from BAP said "When I become rich..." and then in YG G-Dragon is rolling in money. Not cool. I thought entertainment centers like TS were cool but no. YG is the only one I can trust now.... 2014 was not a good year.

[@SaraAli-um9om]

omg I feel so sorry for the k pop groups. No wonder some end up with small dorms.

[@Alistair.Althea]

Is Amber from f(x) doing ok in her Kpop contract though?

[@oneloved]

I've been binge watching this channel today. You guys are AWESOME!

[@rosebud1296]

With all the complications going on this year, its shed a lot of light for me. I really started to support people who left groups or companies, even though i'm a giant f(x) and EXO fan.