Minors in Kpop: Its Not The Fans You Should Be Worrying About

  • With all the stuff going on between Min Heejin and HYBE at the moment, I feel like this was a long overdue take that I can finally bring myself to make now that its the topic of conversation.

    I'm sure we have all seen the comments about how companies need to stop debuting young idols because of the fans sexualizing them, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. To see the true issue, we need to look deeper to find the real issue.


    This has always been an issue within kpop, since the very beginning. Kpop idols have been debuting as young as 12 or 13 for a long time now, but even with the recent spark of concern, the amount of idols debuting young have been increasing and so have the amount of fans these groups have.

    People say we should stop debuting young idols, but have we done anything to stop it besides complaining online in comment sections and the occasional post? No.

    All of the big groups at the moment are full of minors, or at least were mostly minors at debut, for example New Jeans, IVE, Le Sserafim

    We complain and rant against idols debuting young, but while people are boycotting groups because of mistreatment, we never boycott the groups or companies that debut idols at such young ages. Most of those who make these comments stan groups that have those same minors in them that they discourage so much..


    But where does the problem really come from? The fans? No.

    We always talk about creepy fans and I have seen so many videos of people talking about the big amount of male voices in the audience toward female groups with cute concepts. This is where Min Heejin comes into this rant.

    Min Heejin has produced groups such as NewJeans, EXO, SHINee, f(x), and Girls Generation. These are all names you'll probably recognize.

    Most of these groups have something in common, too. Their cutesy concepts with the undertones of sexualization.

    Cookie is the most well known example. The lyrics of the song are so obviously innuendos, but also have that childish innocence to them that make groups like this the target of predators.

    Just look at SHINees debut and immediate hit, Replay. A bunch of young boys singing about their "noona". Of course a noona can be as little as a year older, its pretty clear the intentions when all members were 15-18 years old and their fans were mostly women in the 30s and above.

    and Girls Generation, possibly even the prototype of NewJeans, they portrayed a very innocent concept at debut with very young members all with a girl-next-door kinda vibe to them, but you can even find performances of them with pig tails dressed up very young with lollipops in their hands, singing about love and kissing... not hard to see whats going on there.

    Its no wonder these idols have such young appearances for their concepts, because of the "demographic" they reach for.


    Predators will sexualize and let their imaginations run wild with anything. The true problem with companies. Its not hard to see that the companies are the ones putting the children into harms way, not the fans. They exploit children knowing creeps will eat up anything they do.

  • If a minor wants to debut with a company and has their parents consent I have no problem with an idol pursuing their dreams. They have the ability to choose and understand the risk of entering a very demanding yet potentially financial rewarding profession.


    Freedom is a wonderful thing especially when you can change you and your family’s financial well-being because of a great opportunity.

  • If a minor wants to debut with a company and has their parents consent I have no problem with an idol pursuing their dreams. They have the ability to choose and understand the risk of entering a very demanding yet potentially financial rewarding profession.


    Freedom is a wonderful thing especially when you can change you and your family’s financial well-being because of a great opportunity.

    youre right and sadly companies take advantage of desperate people like that and take their children and exploit them in ways their young, optimistic minds wouldnt understand

  • youre right and sadly companies take advantage of desperate people like that and take their children and exploit them in ways their young, optimistic minds wouldnt understand

    which is one reason I've always said I would never ever let my children debut as kpop idols but I also wouldn't limit other people from making different choices to what I would make

  • Been saying this for years, with the added danger of the people behind closed doors, in the companies, with access to young people that are much more worrying.


    Fans get worked up about groups with underage/young members having old uncle/aunty fans, which, while arguably distasteful or creepy or annoying, don't really put the members in harms way (with exception of extreme things like stalkers). But weird 30 year old Lee at a fan meet with daggy clothes and a bit of BO is not really the danger.


    But fans, and parents of idols seemingly, seem less concerned about the multitude of faceless corp people, in house and contracted "creatives" that have much closer, much more intimate, and much easier to hide contact with young idols. Parents put a LOT of trust in all these people, letting their kids live in dorms, tour with "by proxy" guardians for extended amounts of time and perform jobs that give very, very close access to the idols.


    I really dont know what checks and balances are done in South Korea for people who work with young people. If they have to be registered or anything like that. In my country, to do ANY work, paid or volunteer, with young people you need to go through background checks and get a certificate or working with young people card. I do wonder if something similar exists in SK?

  • I mean we are allowed to talk all day about MHJ allegedly having certain predatory tendencies but why is talking about BSH potentially handpicking Garam because she looked like a certain Japanese star from the 90s he would have been into as an otaku out of the question? Like why was he so willing to go behind MHJ's back when it came to picking member he personally wanted? What was he hiding? Just because he started BTS doesn't make him a saint.


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    kim-garam.jpg

  • I mean we are allowed to talk all day about MHJ allegedly having certain predatory tendencies but why is talking about BSH potentially handpicking Garam because she looked like a certain Japanese star from the 90s he would have been into as an otaku out of the question? Like why was he so willing to go behind MHJ's back when it came to picking member he personally wanted? What was he hiding? Just because he started BTS doesn't make him a saint.


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    kim-garam.jpg

    WTF! every ceo of big 4 is so trash is almost unbelievable.

  • You are 100% spot on, even when the sexualization by fans is disgusting and dangerous, the real danger is the people directly around them, we know all those cases from the western entertainment media like in nickelodeon, disney, justin bieber, etc... the minors in kpop face the same dangers.

  • You are 100% spot on, even when the sexualization by fans is disgusting and dangerous, the real danger is the people directly around them, we know all those cases from the western entertainment media like in nickelodeon, disney, justin bieber, etc... the minors in kpop face the same dangers.

    Yeah you're right there. Never even thought to mention that in my screed.


    Although, come to think of it... it's interesting to think that major scandal of THAT nature has never really hit kpop. Surprisingly. Thankfully.

  • Yeah you're right there. Never even thought to mention that in my screed.


    Although, come to think of it... it's interesting to think that major scandal of THAT nature has never really hit kpop. Surprisingly. Thankfully.

    I want to think the predators in the south korea music industry have it harder to get away with things like that with so many eyes put in those idols from managers to fans, hope is that and we never get a sad incident like those i mentioned.

  • I mean we are allowed to talk all day about MHJ allegedly having certain predatory tendencies but why is talking about BSH potentially handpicking Garam because she looked like a certain Japanese star from the 90s he would have been into as an otaku out of the question? Like why was he so willing to go behind MHJ's back when it came to picking member he personally wanted? What was he hiding? Just because he started BTS doesn't make him a saint.


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    kim-garam.jpg

    He ain't a saint that's for sure. When BTS just debuted and they had the members who were just 15-18 lift their shirts. Also Big Hit didn't do a thing about the managers hitting the members until a video of a manager acting like he is going to hit Jungkook spread. It was obviously not the first time since he flinch and he was a minor that time so there was a power imbalance.

  • I don't think is a big problem overall, the big problems is more likely "in the periphery" of the kpop industry where young girls/trainess that dreams of becoming kpop idols come in contacts with people (men) that are less serious and take adventage of them.

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