Behind the idols of Japan and South Korea who are envied by many teenagers, there exist manipulative and tough talent agencies.
These talent agencies control the J-pop and K-pop multimillion dollar franchises, yet most of their stars do not earn much money like celebrities in the west. In fact, J-pop and K-pop stars are normally on salary and are not paid on contract basis.
The pop stars are bound by strict rules, some of which control even their personal lives. The recent incidences of Taiwanese star Chou Tzuyu and Japan's popular band SWAP making public apologies are just a taste of how powerful the agencies can be.
Taking the case of Japan, stars are not allowed to date, and in order to marry, a star has to get permission. The "no dating" clause has been known to be a source of many lawsuits, with idols getting sued in violation. Recently, Rocket News reported that a 23-year-old Japanese idol had gotten sued by an unnamed talent agency for violating the "no dating" clause.
Two years ago, another case featured Minami Minegishi, an idol from the famous AKB48, who shaved her head and wept an apology after breaking the same clause when she spent a night with her boyfriend.
According to BBC, manufactured boy and girl bands are not unheard of. Nevertheless, Rob Schwartz, a Tokyo-based Bureau chief of Billboard magazine, told the publication that agencies controlling personal lives are something that is rarely heard in the west.
Schwartz, in spite of this, said that it could be possibly get compared to the situation in the 1940s in the U.S., where studios had a huge control over their movie stars, but then again, there was less coercion despite being discouraged from dating or marrying.
In South Korea, idols can date and get married more openly than Japan. Yet, the agencies have a hands-on approach to the daily lives of the stars. The agencies are very concerned about how their talents get perceived, owing to several scandals that happened back in the 1990s.
Just like in other parts of the world, the glamour of stardom is a huge appeal for both South Korean and Japanese children. But the latest unfolding of events depicts that there is a debate about the gap between the reality of the industry and the dreams of the idols.
Here is a clip of a member of AKB48 apologizing teary:
(Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of Asiastarz.)