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On February 10, 2024, BTS and BLACKPINK were roped in a news of "slavery" dating back to 2021. A previously published article from a North Korean media source Arirang Meahri, reemerged online after three years. The article decried how South Korean idol groups like BTS and BLACKPINK were treated and immediately gained the attention of Korean internet users.
The story, which was first released in 2021 by the North Korean media outlet Arirang Meahri seemingly compared BTS and BLACKPINK's contract to slavery.
The outlet claimed in 2021 that the management companies of both idol groups in South Korea treat them like "slaves". The article went on to say that these K-pop groups are abused and exploited, giving an inaccurate impression of the circumstances that these highly regarded musicians actually experience.
Netizens found the claims hilarious and absurd and reacted on the Korean online forum, Theqoo. One anonymous user mentioned how "funny" the claims are since "that's the country that really treats them as slaves."
Netizens ridicule the article published by North Korean media in 2021 for claiming BTS and BLACKPINK contracts as slavery
The report, which was first published in 2021 by the North Korean media outlet Arirang Meahri, claimed that these K-pop groups are subjected to abuse and exploitation, and manipulating the truth of the K-pop world by showing the glamourized bits of BTS, BLACKPINK, and more.
The report further highlighted how children as young as elementary students are committed to binding agreements with big corporations such as SM Entertainment and more for idol training. Furthermore, in their report, Arirang Meahri mentioned global K-pop sensations like BTS and BLACKPINK are among the many teenage musicians who were extensively trained to become pop singers at an early age.
Additionally, the article said that the organizations force idol singers to complete demanding training regimens by keeping them cut off from the outside world, only letting them sleep for two to three hours per night, and seizing the majority of their earnings to pay for the training.
The 2021 article also mentioned the strategy used by Western media, stating that they, too, have drawn attention to the abuses these icons have to endure. Several foreign publications like Metro UK spoke about BTS' "gruesome" rehearsal training of 12 to 15 hours a day which contributed to the band's phenomenal success today.
The claims made by North Korea about idol groups like BLACKPINK and BTS have been met with incredulity by Korean internet users. Netizens found the claims absurd and commented on Theqoo stating that even they would like to be "a slave with 10 billion of won."
Supporters and analysts believe and wrote on Theqoo that Arirang Meahri's alleged claims of such demanding methods appear inappropriate in light of BTS and BLACKPINK's accomplishments.
