She has changed her career now.
1 hour ago
A female idol who disappeared from the entertainment industry in 2021 has now become a hot topic for exposing the horrible mistreatment by her previous agency.
On February 10, KST, Song Chaeah, the idol in question, made an appearance on the YouTube channel One Mic, where she shared her career story.
Song Chaeah | Baba Play
Song, a former member of the girl group Lusty, went by the stage name Harin during her K-Pop idol days.
In the video, she gave viewers a glimpse of her house that she now shares with her mother and reflected on her nightmarish past. She recalled living in a dorm infested with cockroaches, right next to a garbage dump. With a bittersweet smile, Song remarked that compared to her past living conditions, her current humble home felt like a luxurious hotel.
Lusty debuted in June 2019 but had to pause their activities in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Song recalled that she was unable to return home at that time and moved only between her company and the dorm. It wasn’t until 2021 that she finally left with the help of a lawyer.
Despite being active for two years, Lusty didn’t generate any profit. Song revealed that their agency berated the members horribly, calling them “debtors” and saying that they owed the company money just for breathing. She also stated that she was owed “a lot of money” but ended up “not even receiving 10% of it.”
Song revealed that the agency’s CEO also forced the members to appear on internet broadcasts. Initially, they were told the broadcasts were meant to connect with overseas fans, but later, they were pressured to earn money from them. “It wasn’t anything inappropriate,” Song clarified, but added that she used the forced broadcast appearance to plead her case in court.
Even after complying with the agency’s whims and earning them money, Song did not receive a fair settlement. According to her, the contract specified a 70:30 profit split, but her company did not honor it. “They gave me 1 million won for the first month or two, but then reduced it to 500,000 won, and then stopped paying me at all,” she revealed, adding that it became her last straw to seek legal avenues to leave her company.
After bidding farewell to her idol career, Song Chaeha admitted that she felt like she was falling behind her peers. She ended up taking multiple part-time jobs to survive. Even though she currently works as a show host, she still works part-time jobs on days when she doesn’t have any broadcasting schedule.
Song Chaeah’s story has pushed the public to confront the problematic reality of unfair contracts in the K-Pop industry yet again.