Seven girls all sit in a room, the atmosphere is intense. All of them are slim, fit, and young. Their ages range from 14 to 20. They’re all nervous, anticipation hangs in the air, nerves are written plain on their faces.

They’re about to find out who will make it to debut in South Korea’s newest K-pop group, a dream that countless young people share across the country, and possibly the world. But.. There’s something hiding behind these doors.

These girls have spent a long period of time getting to this room. They have spent months or years training in dancing, performing and singing all while following strict diets and demanding exercise. To get to this point is difficult, many give up their education or leave their families that are hundreds of miles away.

The K-pop industry may look perfect and bright on the surface, but what lies behind the surface, the industry can be very tough. Trainees and idols face strict rules, long hours, and pressure to always look and act a certain way.

As companies push for more success, many artists struggle to cope with stress, burnout, and a lack of control over their own lives.

“In the end, I had signs of depression. I wondered if I could continue to live like this and if I could endure through all of this tomorrow once again,” said Bae Suzy.

K-pop continues growing in its rapid expansion, increased attention is being placed on what is really beneath the industry’s polished image. From strict beauty standards to sexualization and exploitation, some reports say the K-pop industry in 2025 faced mixed results.

Physical and mental health struggles are a huge part of what idols really experience. This is mostly caused by high beauty/performance standards, invasive fame, rigorous training, which can lead to depression, anxiety, isolation, burnout, and body image issues.

For instance, Kim Jong-hyun, a singer from a group named SHINee, couldn’t handle the bare struggles, he stated that fame was never meant for him. He passed away from suicide, caused by severe depresssion. He wrote a letter before his death, “I am broken from the inside, the depression that has been slowly eating away at me has finally consumed me, and I couldn’t defeat it.”

The death of Kim Jong-hyun sent shockwaves across the nation. It raised awareness about depression and the pressures within the k-pop world. Later, his mother created a foundation called “SHINY foundation” . It’s a program that offers support for young artists that don’t get the support they need from their agencies.

Another incident happened where an artist named Sulli, who was a member of the K-pop group f(x). She is known for speaking out on mental health issues, cyberbullying, and women’s rights issues. But, the cases of these were sensitive in a conservative society in South Korea. Her story shows how K-pop stars are harshly criticized by the public.

When Sulli was 20 years old, she started a relationship with Choiza, a Korean rapper who was 14 years older than her. This aroused a scandal caused by the couple’s age gap. She was then cyberbullied online by the reason of Choiza’s stage name being referenced to a male’s genitalia which caused much more controversy.

Nyla, a freshman from iSchool, expresses how companies don’t take action against scandals like these, she says “Most companies stay out of dating scandals leaving up to the idol and the fans. Which personally is not a good idea for the idol’s reputation. Because it leads fans to hate on the idol instead of the company.”

During the same year, Sulli paused activities with f(x) due to malicious comments, but finally quit the group in 2015 to focus on acting. Later, she released her solo debut single in 2018, but it goes downhill from here. On the June 21 premiere of the show “Night of hate comments,” Sulli read out online comments about herself.

She responds to a malicious comment commenting on how she sometimes uploads photos in which she doesn’t wear a bra she says, “When I first posted a ‘no bra’ photo, there was a lot of talk about it. I was scared and could have hidden, but the reason I didn’t is that I want to change peoples’ prejudices about that. Part of me also wanted to say ‘This isn’t that big of a deal.’”

Unfortunately, at the age of 25 years old, Sulli was found dead in her home. She comminted suicide due to the high amount of hate. Several idols have spoken out about the need for support for every idol and the pressure they are under.

Sulli is one of a kind, she publicly spoke about her issues of being an idol, which is not spoken and is banned from their management. A K-pop critic based in Korea said, “Female K-pop stars are expected to be cute and lovely while being obedient to public reception. Sulli didn’t fit this mold. She was one who intentionally raised her voice and wanted to be heard,”

Exploitative contracts are another huge factor that plays part of K-pop issues in the industry, girl group LOONA filed a lawsuit against their company, with the remaining 5 members out of 11 winning their termination lawsuit, caused by mistreatment and lack of payment. Boy band EXO members Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin filed a lawsuit against their agency, allegedly for lack of payment and contractual demands. Lastly, girl group FIFTY FIFTY, the group being global hit “Cupid” filed to suspend their contract because of lack of financial transparency and medical neglect.

While these legal battles were fought for different reasons, they all focus on a common issue in the K-pop industry which are the long-term contracts that these idols sign on to. “They have managers that manage their life so they don’t have much control over what they do which is really sad to see them without any freedom.” Says Lea, a freshman from Nyc iSchool.

Idols are constantly watched, with security cameras around their buildings where they train, having demanding schedules leaving them little to no time to rest. Companies dictate their diets, confiscate photos, restrict family contact, and control social interactions to maintain their image. This is all for either becoming successful or losing it all.

“To lose weight, I only had a small pack of soybean milk a day or 10 cherry tomatoes,” said Kong Yoo-jin, a former lead vocalist from a K-pop girl group, “I was almost bony, with all my fat and muscles disappearing. Some people even said I looked gross.”

The only places where she could go freely were her company’s building or her dorm room, where she and her members lived. Kong expressed happiness when she was away from her strict schedules, “Happiness came when I headed for music shows or the vocal academy, away from the company building,” she said.

Seeing these issues that happened really shows what we don’t see behind the scenes, maybe There’s even more that we don’t know about behind the curtains, we never know and it’s good to spread awareness about this.

This is a national issue, although controversies may begin with a singular group or company, they build problems into South Korea’s entertainment industry as one whole. Intense competition, beauty standards, trainee contracts, extreme schedules, lack of privacy these affect many idols because they are systems that operate nationwide so, the impact spreads.

K-pop is an important cultural tool that is promoted across South Korea, any big issues could reflect on how people perceive the country. This article talks about the widespread impact of it, “It is recorded that there were only 300,000 visitors in 1998, but Korea recorded 17.5 million visitors in 2019 thanks to the globalization and influence of Korean content.”

Social media has played a huge significance in this. This document talks how it’s huge as a big role, “fans are able to access a range of information quickly and unite together across the world to create a notable force that can influence company decisions. Fans have used this network to inform each other of the issues that idols face and make their voices heard in issues where they feel the company is exploiting their talent.”

In 2021, South Korea recorded a suicide rate of 26 per 100,000 people, which is the highest among OCED countries. Suicide was the main cause of death from ages 10 to 39, 44% of teenage deaths and 56.8% of deaths who are in their 20s. Mental illness was a main cause of suicide.

But why? One main reason for this is intense academic pressure, trying to get into the best universities and fierce competition getting into the job market. But here’s another thing, there’s a well-documented phenomenon called the Werther effect, or “copycat suicide” which is a reserach that confirms a significant increase in the national suicide right after a celebrity commints suicide.

On average, the number of suicides in South Korea increased by 16.4% after a celebrity takes their own life, analysis reveals that females are most likely to be affected by this. This study states how K-pop fans are affected, “Studies specifically examining K-pop fans identify higher rates of anxiety and depression compared to general populations, though causation remains unclear.”

Mental health risks associated with K-pop are anxiety triggers. Fans feel pressure from when groups are promoting their songs, creating pressure to vote, stream, and purchase whatever is available. As well as feeling distress about their favored group not having enough streams, award wins, and success.

Additionally, social anxiety within K-pop communities affects many fans.  Insufficient knowledge, fear of judgement, or mistakes creates stress. New fans specifically struggle with learning about complex communities and sufficient dedication. Studies show that K-pop fans have higher rates of anxiety and depression compared to the general public.

K-pop idols represent extremely unrealistic standards, caused by the amount of pressure that they face from the public. They appear flawless, outstandingly talented, and successful while still young. “You can appreciate someone’s talent and art while also recognizing they’re also just a person dealing with challenges just like you and your friends.”  says Lynn Jones, a holistic trauma therapist. “polished performances you see are the result of incredible hard work, but they don’t show the full picture of someone’s life or struggles.”

“It’s worth asking yourself what you’re really admiring—is it the person, or is it an image that’s been carefully created? There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the music and performances, but remember that the idol you see is often playing a role, just like an actor. The real person behind that role deserves compassion, privacy, and the space to be imperfect.”

Idols are highly trained individuals who show a polished image through practice, makeup, media training including more but, they all experience human imperfections and struggles like all of us. It’s great to keep in mind that these idols aren’t what you really think they are, they could act perfect on cameras yet, you never know what’s behind the scenes.

Over the years, there is a noticeably recent trend where there was an increase of lawsuits idols have filed against their companies. These so- called “Slave contracts” or in other words, unfair long-term agreements. This document states the high number of lawsuits, “receiving no income from their company, having excessive practice times, and other cases of threat and harassment as the company exercised power over their talent.”

For decades, many idols signed these agreements with little power, but the high amount of lawsuits suggests the industry might be approaching a turning point. In 2009, a K-pop group called TVXQ sued their company, SM entertainment for an excessively long 13-year contract and unfair profit distribution. Their case is widely considered a fierce moment that exposed unfair contracts and sparked major change in the K-pop industry.

An ongoing legal battle in the K-pop industry has been going on, the Newjeans-ADOR dispute has drawn attention to several issues in the industry. Allegedly for mistreatment, lack of trust, and discrimination. Newjeans members accused Ador of “mistreatment” and “deliberate miscommunication and manipulation” which led to a lawsuit to prevent them from leaving.

In October 2025, Seoul Central Court ruled that NewJeans contracts with Ador remain valid, for “insufficient grounds to support the group’s key claims for terminating the contract.” The group then announced through the Sejong law firm that they would appeal the decision. But, shortly after, on November 12, 2025, members Haerin and Hyein returned with Ador.

Later on, December 2025, the rest of the 3 members, Hanni will continue with Ador, Minji is still “in talks” with the company but Ador states that they would terminate Danielle’s contract.

The BBC reports states that Ador has filed a $30 million dollar lawsuit for contract violations, against her family and the former CEO of Ador. The statement concluded, “Ador will do its utmost to bring this matter to an amicable conclusion and to ensure that NewJeans can return to fans as soon as possible.”

January 12, 2026, Former NewJeans member Danielle Marsh released her first statement ever since the December news of her departure, “I fought until the very end to be together with the members,” she said. As of now, this conflict is still occurring, NewJeans struggles illustrate issues on how there’s severe power imbalances, contract issues and artist rights in K-pop.

Currently, the rise of legal disputes shows a similar moment as in the past, but under different situations. Today, K-pop has grown to international audiences who are more aware of labor rights. As idols become more informed on what’s going on and willing to speak out, lawsuits are no longer rare occurrences, but a part of inequalities in the industry.

However, the future remains uncertain. While lawsuits may bring attention to exploitation, idols who challenge their company are at risk of financial instability, blacklisting, and a chance of their career ending. For this reason, idols remain silent, aware that legal action may not be enough to speak on bad treatment. By the looks of it, entertainment companies still resist change, stating that strict contracts are needed to sustain the industry’s business image.

These K-pop idols are being treated as work machines, not as human beings. They are being exploited, and slow improvements are being done in the industry due to pressure from fans. These idols are not just performers, many enter the industry as minors having to navigate high-pressure working conditions.

Jihyo from Twice was just 8 when she started training, she trained over a decade and later debuted at the age of 18. In one of her vlogs, she was reflecting on her 20s as she was entering her 30s soon. “I don’t know why, but I’m suddenly having a reality check,” she said, and explained what was her biggest regret in life.

“Turning 30 is kind of scary. Thinking about how I can never go back to my 20s is terrifying. I struggled so much in my 20s. Honestly, I don’t want to go back. I think what I regret most is that all I did was work.” Jihyo continued explaining that despite her taking risks without fear and regret, she gained so much experience from it.

These words are not significant because of Jihyo’s lack of success, she is one of the most accomplished idol in the K-pop industry but because she exposes the hidden cost of success, her reflection illustrates how the K-pop system goes far beyond the music industry, how they take young artists and deny them of normal life experiences even when they reach the highest level of fame. When someone who has gained high achievements still expresses regret over spending their life with excessive work, it raises serious questions about what the industry’s standards and expectations are.

Ayoko, a freshman from NYC iSchool explains her thoughts on the K-pop industry she says, “One change I wish the kpop industry would make is not to debut youths that are below 18 years old. I have seen many idols who debut at least 16 years old. I think this is bad because they can’t have freedom and won’t be happy to live their teenage lives.”

Ayoko’s statement shows how even when 18 years old is a legal age, it’s still a young age for trainees to be trained, especially to debut. Seowon from UNIS was only 13 when she debuted, and only 12 while training. Working at such a young age could affect your mental health, Lynn Jones, a holistic trauma therapist says, “The body can only handle so much before it starts putting the brakes on in the form of physical symptoms.”

She continues on by saying, “Chronic sleep deprivation weakens your immune system, making you more likely to get sick. It also affects your ability to think clearly and manage emotions. Restrictive dieting—especially during intense physical activity—can lead to nutritional deficiencies, weakened bones, hormonal imbalances, hair loss, and in severe cases, heart problems. Young people who are still growing are especially vulnerable because their bodies need proper fuel.

Overworking without rest can cause injuries that don’t heal properly, chronic pain, digestive issues from stress, and burnout that affects both body and mind. Your body essentially gets stuck in “emergency mode” all the time, which it wasn’t designed to sustain.”

So, why don’t these K-pop entertainment companies do something about this? Well, Korean society wants to keep a “perfect” image for idols, issues are only addressed when there are major scandals. But, if these idols do speak up, it’ll only make it difficult and the situation complicated, they fear penalties, legal disputes, or blacklisting. “This is largely because society generally views idols simply as successful artists, lacking any awareness of their status as atypical workers” says The Dankook Herald.

As K-pop continues to grow to more international audiences, it impacts the business and production of K-pop. It gives great national representation for Korea and helps boost the economy. The government has heavily invested into the industry with the intent to serve economic goals. But, is the government protecting idols within the industry? Or, help boost economic growth with the idols? That’s a question still in progress.