There is no denying that in order to survive in this harsh K-pop industry, Kpop idols have
to work non-stop around the clock.
But as a human, everyone needs to rest to regain their strength before they can continue
working.
However, the idols below are said to be exhausted to the extreme by their companies to the point
that they don't even have time to breathe.
1.
Bibi
Though Bibi is not an idol but a singer and songwriter under Feel GHood Music, I still
decided to put her on top of the list because recently, in a livestream on Instagram, Bibi
made many fans who watching the livestream have a heart attack when she suddenly burst
out into tears and said that she really just wanted to take a rest and eat good foods but
she couldn’t.
Bibi then seemed to try to reach out to her manager but to no avail.
She continued crying during her livestream and said, "Please pick up the phone.
I want to take off this freaking makeup and go to sleep.
No one lets me wash my face.
I wish I wasn't an artist, singer or celebrity."
It seemed that Bibi was really having a serious breakdown.
After watching her livestream and listening to her sharings, fans express their concern
and worry about Bibi's condition.
They assumed that what Bibi stated imply that her agency had been working her to the bone,
which negatively affects both her physical and mental health and stresses her out.
They constantly blamed Feel GHood Music for not paying attention to their artist’s health
but taking advantage of her to gain benefit.
Besides, fans also tried to cheer Bibi up by encouraging her to overcome her mental
breakdown and look at the bright side as every cloud has its silver lining.
They would always be by her side to support her in the future.
They also expressed that Bibi voicing out her worries and concerns live is really a
right and encouraging thing to do because that would help fans understand more about
the real condition of Kpop artists, not just about the bling bling image that the companies
build for them.
Soon after that, on July 23, when Bibi seemed to get better, she had uploaded a status on
her Instagram to thank fans for their care and support, and also reassure them that she
is still eating and resting well.
Bibi also added that she will try her best to bring fans the most qualified album and
hope they don’t misunderstand that her agency hasn’t been treating her right.
After being bombarded with netizens' harsh criticism for several days, Tiger JK, the
CEO of Feel GHoot Music, finally spoke about Bibi’s situation.
He stated that “I make sure we are not exhausting her at all.
We always treat each other with love and respect.
Bibi is preparing to release a new full-album and is in the process of finishing the work.
So it seemed like she was under a lot of stress."
Above all, netizens wish that Bibi can get better soon and hope that her agency can be
more responsible for their artists’ health.
2.
BTS
"There's really been no time for me to mature, both in terms of skills and as a normal person.
I’m now very different from myself 10 years ago and I need time to be myself.
In the past 10 years as a member of BTS with all those busy schedules, I couldn't grow
up.
I didn't even have time to think."
Those are the confessions that RM recently said in BTS Festa 2022, the annual event celebrating
the group's debut.
BTS made their debut in 2013, with a not-so-easy starting point when coming from BigHit - an
unpopular company at that time.
After 9 years of non-stop activities, BTS had proved their talent and has been at the
pinnacle of their career as a "global group”.
However, due to the pressure of being a superstar, they have to focus all their energies on group
activities.
BTS’s cycle and workload are so dense that the group has neither any personal schedules,
nor time to take care of themselves.
There are many times BTS members were caught up with totally worn-out images after finishing
the fierce performances.
For example, V caught a cold and frequently showed signs of fatigue in BTS World Tour
" Love Yourself: Speak Yourself", and RM had to hold him back so he didn’t fall to the
floor.
Jungkook who plays a key role in the group even had to breathe with oxygen right after
going to the backstage Similarly at the 2019 Seoul Music Awards,
after finishing the performance, BTS members were seen immediately collapsed right on the
stage and had to be escorted backstage as they couldn’t even walk on their own.
It is known that before this award ceremony took place, BTS had to run concerts in Nagoya,
Japan for many days whereby they had almost no time to take a rest.
Another time when BTS arrived at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in April to perform
'Butter', they only had one single day of rehearsals.
J-hope even shared, “The other members were on the brink of mental exhaustion at that
point, to be honest.”
A part of ARMY was extremely sorry for BTS when they saw these scenes and criticized
HYBE, questioning why the company was always filming even when the group was exhausted.
They were concerned this would create the feeling that the boys are being watched anywhere
and there are many staff with cameras ready to record them despite their situations.
Apart from that, BTS also shoulders great responsibility in politics of being “a special
presidential envoy for future generations and culture" by South Korean President Moon
Jae-in and is also granted a diplomatic passport and a propaganda representative of UNICEF's
COVID-19 vaccine.
Although ARMYs are so proud of the boys, this also means that BTS will be exploited to the
extreme in terms of health.
Not only was it criticized for exploiting BTS too much, but HYBE was also got bashed
by fans and netizens for using BTS as a shield against public opinion aimed at the group's
military service.
Specifically, after a rehearsal, BTS suddenly had an unexpected press conference just 10
minutes later.
The boys were seen still wearing their performance costumes, they were brought to the press conference
without even being aware of the situation and only responded to reporters with simple
answers such as "We trust our company on this matter", which also sparked many debates.
After the press conference, BTS had to immediately go to the concert and of course had zero time
to rest.
Needless to say, tons of ARMYs then accused HYBE of giving BTS a bad reputation, causing
them to receive severe backlash because the public believes that the boys intentionally
shirks military service while in fact, HYBE is the only culprit here.
3.
Wanna One
During 18 months working as a group, Wanna One has won many netizens’ hearts thanks
to their outstanding talent.
However, behind the glory image on stage, it is less-known that the boys had to catch
up with a really intense schedule set up by the agency, which burned them out exhaustedly.
There was a time a picture of Wanna One’s luggage in the waiting room at the Music Bank
award circulated on social media.
Do you know what is special about this photo?
Yes, there is a pile of auxiliary drugs loaded in the suitcase, aimed at fighting muscle
pain and reducing pain for people who are overworked.
Netizens said that this picture had pointed out that YMC had exploited Wanna One’s labor
to the point that they couldn’t work without those drugs.
However, what shocked people even more is that according to some fans with medical expertise,
if Wanna One used these drugs for a long time, they would possibly be diagnosed with liver
necrosis.
When the picture spread online, many netizens immediately voiced their discontent and criticized
Wanna One’s agency for not taking proper care of the boys’ health but working them
to the extreme without even caring about the consequences.
Some also assumed that because Wanna One was about to terminate the contract at the time,
YMC Entertainment tried to take advantage of the group at all costs, forcing them to
burn the candle at both ends and earning money from that.
This is not the first time YMC was criticized for the same reason.
When Wanna One performed in the show "2017 Fever Festival" in Seoul, member Lee Dae Hwi
got injured right on the stage due to the broken in-earphone.
This accident caused the male idol’s ear to be scratched and bleeding as everyone could
see blood was dripping down his shoulder.
It wouldn't matter if Wanna One's agency didn't reassure fans that Daehwi's injury was not
so serious, making many netizens outraged as they believed YMC was taking their artists’
safety lightly.
Controversy was then sparked as some said YMC was so irresponsible when not giving Daehwi
some time to rest after the injury.
They revealed that instead of being immediately taken to the hospital, the male idol was forced
to take pictures before leaving.
In response to fans' anger and dissatisfaction, YMC quickly spoke up, stating, "We sincerely
apologize for making fans worry about Daehwi's injury, and we will do our best to take care
of all the members so that they can continue their promotions in best condition"
So, do you think these idols were really being exploited by their companies?
Or is it actually not that serious and some netizens were just worrying too much?