A former staff member has come forward with shocking revelations about the dark side behind the glamorous world of K-pop, leaving many netizens stunned.
A TikToker is currently gaining attention after sharing her experiences working as a tour manager and interpreter in the K-pop industry. According to her, beyond the “high-maintenance” personal demands such as only using imported bottled mineral water for daily activities the working environment was filled with strict rules and disturbing realities that completely changed her perception of the entertainment world.
Her video series has quickly gone viral. Within just three days, the first part surpassed 1.4 million views. She began by describing unreasonable demands from celebrities, including one idol who refused to brush their teeth or wash their face with anything other than bottled Volvic water.
The difficulties didn’t stop there. She recalled absurd situations the staff had to endure: “We had to run around the Las Vegas Strip for over an hour just to find Perrier lemon-flavored water because a manager thought he heard the artist mention it. And the artist only took two sips.” In another case, an artist reportedly became furious simply because the interpreter did not translate their screams and shouting.
The backstage work environment was also described as highly oppressive, with clear abuse of power from management. During an event in Los Angeles, a CEO and senior executives allegedly turned a business trip into a family vacation, forcing staff members to act as babysitters and take his daughter to Six Flags amusement park for an entire day.
The extreme workload was another issue. At one point, the team reportedly went 40 hours with almost no food, surviving on just a single bottle of water while handling endless demands. Staff were also subjected to bizarre rules, such as being threatened with immediate dismissal if they dared to look at the stage during rehearsals, or being instructed to keep their heads down if they encountered artists in hotel hallways.
Beyond physical exhaustion, the former manager also exposed serious safety risks and harassment incidents. She recalled having to go to an artist’s room at 2 a.m. in Texas to remove a homeless woman who had somehow entered. More disturbingly, she claimed she endured two years of unwanted advances from a manager, who allegedly attempted to kiss her during a tour and even insisted he would immigrate to the U.S. to marry her.
The idols themselves were not exempt from criticism. She shared troubling stories that left many viewers uneasy: “An artist texted one of the female staff under my supervision, asking her to come to his room at 1 a.m.” In another case, she revealed, “An artist flirted with all the female staff, only for us to later find out he already had a girlfriend in Korea.”
Under the videos, many netizens commented that these revelations were not entirely shocking, suggesting that such issues are somewhat expected in a complex industry like K-pop. Instead of surprise, many are now focused on speculating and trying to identify the artists and managers mentioned in the story.
Although the claims have not been verified, the viral testimony has shed light on a different side of the K-pop industry, sparking widespread discussion and debate among online communities.
Sources: K14