Shouting and Pushing Members at Hotel
"Repeatedly Abused and Harassed"
Agency CEO Responds, "I Cared Like a Mother"
[Asia Economy Culture Young Intern Reporter] The New York Times, a major American daily, is paying attention to the Omega X incident, in which the group took legal action claiming assault and sexual harassment by their agency’s CEO. Concerns have also been raised about whether Korean entertainment agencies exploit musicians.
On the 4th (local time), the New York Times (NYT) reported in an article titled "K-pop Exploitation Revisited After L.A. Hotel Incident" that "the issue of K-POP exploitation has come back into focus following an incident involving verbal abuse by an agency CEO at a hotel in Los Angeles (LA)."
The NYT reported that after Omega X’s first overseas tour ended, a video captured by a passerby at a hotel showed an agency executive shouting at the members and pushing member Kim Jaehan to the ground, which was later broadcast on Korean television.
It detailed that the members returned to Korea at their own expense and are currently engaged in a lawsuit against the agency. During this process, it was revealed that CEO Kang habitually made sexually harassing remarks toward the members and forcibly touched their thighs, hands, and faces, while frequently verbally abusing them.
Kang, who resigned last month, explained in a phone interview with the NYT, "I cared for all the members like a mother. Kim Jaehan falling to the floor at the LA hotel was because he fell on his own." He also claimed that the members were "witch-hunting" him in order to move to bigger agencies.
However, the NYT reported that after the incident became public, at least two local companies assisting Omega X’s promotions in the U.S. and activities in Japan severed ties with the agency Spire Entertainment, and many volunteers who participated in the U.S. and South American tours sided with Omega X.
The article also mentioned the hierarchical order among Korean workers, explaining that "most K-pop artists do not publicly criticize their agencies for fear of consequences from contract violations." It further pointed out that since most artists are minors at the time of signing contracts, they are more vulnerable, and criticized K-pop agencies for controlling and exploiting artists through verbal abuse and physical mistreatment.
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