MADEIN's Gaeun exposes 143 Ent's CEO for sexual harassment

Child and Youth Media Rights Network releases statement on MADEIN’s sexual harassment case:

— “On the 22nd of this month, JTBC's "Scandal Supervisor" broadcast allegations that the CEO of Entertainment Agency A sexually molested a member of a rookie girl group. According to the broadcast, when the member begged the CEO to 'end her activities' as a 'wish', the CEO said, 'Then, as my wish, I want you to be my daily girlfriend' and molested her while locking the office door.

When the member's parents protested, the representative said it was a "clear mistake" and promised to "step down from his position and have no personal contact," but he accompanied the member on overseas trips and even sat next to her on an airplane. The member was deeply traumatized and has since stopped participating in the organization due to ill health. The representative even pressured the other members to answer whether they would continue their activities, saying that they could be held liable for damages if the matter became publicized.

The allegations are serious, and Company A has denied them, stating only that they are untrue. The testimonies that were broadcast are very specific, but given the reality of the K-Pop industry, where agency representatives hold an absolute position of power over rookie idols, it's not just a matter of fact.

With the exception of a very few successful idols, the word of an agency representative is absolute for an idol who is about to debut or has just debuted. After years of hard work to make their debut and being locked into an exclusive contract, the agency has the power. A legal dispute over the contract is enough to jeopardize the idol's career. It is shocking to hear of stories of sexual violence perpetrated against teenage members using this overwhelming difference in status.

Korean society needs to reflect on the power relations that exist between children and adolescents that make such things possible. In the K-POP industry, which demands that idols erase their individuality and function only as commodities, various forms of oppression and violence are inflicted on individual idols (trainees) and they are forced to accept them, and these choices are often masked by the glamorous success of the stage, only to be brought to the surface when incidents like these occur.

The willingness of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to intervene is questionable, but it also lacks the legal obligation to do so. The current Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act provides for corrective measures for unfairness in contracts, but it does not specify measures for violations of youth's health and learning rights in the process of providing services. In the last National Assembly, a bill to amend the Act, which included the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's authority to conduct investigations and inspections, came close to passing, but was scrapped due to opposition from the entertainment industry. There are more than 6,000 registered entertainment agencies that work with children and adolescents, but they are not well managed or verified. It is imperative that the relevant ministries intervene responsibly in this case and that the National Assembly discusses legislation to improve the weak system.”

메이딘 성추행 논란에 "K팝 자성 필요, 문체부 개입·입법 이뤄져야" 아미넷 성명 [전문]

m.entertain.naver.com