The hit girl group NewJeans' musical releases have stalled in the wake of the drama. Photo: ANN
2024 has largely been a scandal-ridden and unsavoury year for K-pop, involving some of the biggest stars and agencies.
Chief of these is the ugly ongoing feud between K-pop giant Hybe and music producer Min Hee-jin, the former chief executive of Hybe’s subsidiary label Ador, which manages the hit girl group NewJeans.
The quintet took the side of Min, who was fired from her role, and have since fallen out with Ador, unilaterally terminating their contract with the label on Nov 28.
NewJeans member Hanni said at a press conference on the same day that Ador has no intention of protecting the group. “Staying at the agency will only prolong our psychological pain and waste our time.”
Ador has refuted the group’s claims and a protracted legal battle lies ahead.
Making their debut in 2022, NewJeans came out of the gate strong with viral hits like Hype Boy (2022) and OMG (2023), but their musical releases have stalled in the wake of the drama.
The feud has even fuelled a sidebar scandal. After Hanni testified in South Korea’s parliament about being discriminated against at the workplace by Hybe employees – one of the group’s many complaints against their parent company – Hybe was subject to an audit and had to hand over an internal document to government officials.
The controversial document – which contained disparaging comments about many K-pop idols, including those under Hybe – was leaked. The conglomerate said the document simply collated public sentiment and did not represent the views of the company, but issued a public apology following backlash from fans and idols alike.
Seungkwan of the boy band Seventeen – the most successful boy band in the Hybe stable, after BTS – seemingly alluded to the document in a long Instagram post, saying: “You have no right to belittle our stories.”
This year also saw the botched comeback of Seunghan, formerly of rookie boy band Riize, in October.This year also saw the botched comeback of Seunghan, formerly of rookie boy band Riize, in October.
The group’s agency SM Entertainment had originally announced that Seunghan, who went on an extended hiatus in 2023 after a picture was leaked of him kissing a woman prior to his debut, would be rejoining the group. But, after fans sent funeral wreaths to protest his comeback, he was officially kicked out of the group.
The incident sparked conversations online about the unrealistic expectations of K-pop idols’ personal lives.
But that is not all that happened in 2024. BTS’ Suga was caught for drink driving on an e-scooter in August and fined 15 million won for the offence.
Rapper-singer Jessi was terminated by her label in October after she walked away from a fan who was physically assaulted in front of her.
NCT’s vocalist Taeil also made a shocking departure from the boy band in August for what was then an unspecified sex crime. It was revealed in October that the police were investigating him for quasi-rape charges against a drunk woman. Quasi-rape is when two or more people collectively assault a victim.
Taeil is reportedly the only public figure involved in the case.
Meanwhile, earlier in December, KG – an American member of K-pop agency JYP Entertainment’s girl group VCHA – accused the company of “abuse and mistreatment” and announced her departure from the group.
And who can forget Singapore’s very own “influencer CEO” and K-pop entrepreneur David Yong, who appeared in the Netflix reality series Super Rich In Korea (2024)? He was arrested on Aug 1 and now faces four charges of falsification of accounts, involving sums that run into the millions.
Yet, for fans of second-generation K-pop, there were some bright spots.
In October, the “King of K-pop” G-Dragon released new solo music after a seven-year hiatus and performed at the Mama Awards in November, marking his first official performance at the awards in nine years.
Formerly disbanded girl group 2NE1 reunited for a comeback tour with two nights at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Dec 21 and 22.
And former members of boy band TVXQ Junsu and Jaejoong held a concert as a duo in Seoul to perform their old hits, while boy band Infinite announced their 15th-anniversary concert tour with an upcoming stop in Singapore at The Star Theatre on Feb 7. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
