HYBE Labels is under hot waters once again for accusations of mistreating its managed artists. This time, a fan posted a write-up on the celebrity discussion portal Pannchoa to claim that the company made the lives of young talents difficult during their trainee periods, even blocking some from debuting. The post went viral on social media, with fans expressing their disappointment over a big company resorting to such unfavorable means to train their artists.
HYBE accused of pressuring NewJeans’ Minji to leave school
As per the fan-written post, NewJeans’ leader and eldest member, Minji, was forced to give up on education by Source Music, a HYBE subsidiary. Source Music, which houses artists like LE SSERAFIM and GFRIEND, was responsible for the management of NewJeans’ pre-debut lineup. During that time, they allegedly subjected Minji to arduous training and asked her to quit school, presumably to dedicate more time to her K-pop trainee life.
They were also accused of leaving her hanging for several years without any solid debut plans. As per the post, Minji’s mother shared how her daughter faced a harsh schedule while living in an unhealthy condition of a cockroach-infested dorm as a trainee. Yet, thankfully, the artist balanced both studies and her idol career.
HYBE accused of forcing Youngseo to leave ILLIT
A classmate of former ILLIT member Youngseo alleged that it was not her own wish, but rather the company’s pressure, that led her to leave the group. For those unfamiliar with Youngseo, she was originally part of the final lineup of ILLIT but opted out last minute for undisclosed reasons. As per the source, HYBE forced her to leave ILLIT, citing her education as a hindrance to her K-pop idol career.
They claimed to have known from mutual friends that parting ways with ILLIT, “really wasn’t her (Youngseo’s) decision.”
These incidents brought back talks of similar accusations in the past, including NewJeans claiming that their shared information with the company-provided psychologists was used against them. The group members’ past claims of being scared that their trainee period videos would get leaked also resurfaced. These shed light on how gruelling the lives of K-pop trainees actually are.