VCHA‘s KG has announced her departure from the group and has also revealed that she’ll be filing a lawsuit against JYP Entertainment for abuse and mistreatment.
In an Instagram story, she describes how staff members have led to a deterioration of her mental health, an environment that she says led to a member attempt suicide.
Yesterday, I filed a lawsuit because I have decided to terminate my contract with JYP Entertainment and exit VCHA after experiencing incidents of abuse and mistreatment by certain staff members. I feel it was not a good environment for my mental health and I apologize if my leave disappoints any of you.
I am not in support of the working and living conditions that led a member to attempt suicide. Nor do I support an environment that encourages eating disorders and has caused members to self harm.
I made this decision back in May and am still waiting for release from my contract. I am worried for the girls who remain in VCHA, my friends, who I truly love and care for. I also realized if I remain at JYP Entertainment, I am not able to become the artist I aspire to be, as I really enjoy songwriting and production. I have accumulated a massive amount of company debt, while being paid very little for the intense work and extreme limitations on our personal lives. Although such incidents occurred, there were also beautiful moments.
She does conclude by thanking Park Jin Young and others, but blames the K-pop industry at large for the conditions.
I’d like to thank J.Y Park, company executives, and staff for believing in me and the exceptional training. I do not blame anyone for the treatment endured, but feel this is an issue that lies deep embedded in the K-Pop industry. I am grateful for the friendships I made and the incredible opportunity to perform for a global audience. Thank you V-lights for your love and support, and I ask you to continue to shine your support towards VCHA, regardless of my absence. I’ve grown a love for Korean culture and K-Pop music. In the future, I will continue making music in this genre, but not under these circumstances.
I hope that my leave can encourage the K-Pop system to make changes for the better, in hopes of protecting the idols and trainees who remain in these companies’ hands.
Following this, it was revealed the lawsuit was 77 pages, but was summarized to four pages. In it, KG describes members being caused injury, being forced to sing despite illness, being verbally abused by staff, denied water and food, being under 24/7 surveillance, forced residency despite contract claims, an official intense schedule of eight hours a day but pressure to work up to 14 hours a day, a lack of sleep, being paid sub-minimum wage, and compiling a $500k debt (and more as I continue to sift through it). In addition, a member allegedly attempted suicide by consuming 42 Nyquil pills, when brought to the attention of JYPE, they dismissed it because eating disorders were common and concealed the attempt.
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While this story is certainly about VCHA, KG, and JYP Entertainment, as KG says herself, unfortunately a lot of what’s described could be as just the K-pop industry. Everything described is horrible, but what stood out to me was the staff reaction to a member making an attempt on her life. Even if they didn’t see it that way, the dismissal of an eating disorder as just another day in the life of a K-pop company employee should make one realize how normalized all these things are.
And this is sort of a trend within the K-pop world as a whole, right? Every time these lawsuits are filed, fans and netizens are effectively debating the appropriate level of abuse by a corporation against young men and women that will end up making them money, and because these norms are so woven into the industry and what we’ve expected — and because things used to be worse in the first and second generation — people tend to lose track of the humans at the center of it.
Anyway, wishing luck to KG and VCHA, but part of me thinks the only thing they’ll conclude is that foreigners aren’t willing to work as hard or something to that effect.
English (US) · 
