“What happened to basic human rights…”
Koreaboo
1 hour ago
Since SEVENTEEN debuted, Pledis Entertainment has been at the center of backlash for its treatment of the group, especially when the members were young.
Idol group SEVENTEEN is being abused by their agency?
Recently, Seungkwan and DK have sparked heartbreak with the extent of the treatment they endured after debuting.
DK was the latest guest on Seungkwan’s show Boo Seungkwan’s Bibabu, to promote their unit debut.
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During the video, the idols were asked about struggles after debuting, and Seungkwan explained, “That’s when World War II starts.”
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Both Seungkwan and DK then revealed some of the hardships they faced, such as being scolded if they brought their bags into the training room.
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Although it was for practicality, other aspects shocked fans, as although phones weren’t confiscated, they had to hand them in and couldn’t use them for a year during promotions.
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SEVENTEEN are known for being social butterflies and friends with many idols, but it was revealed that Pledis scolded the members if they tried to make friends with people from other groups.
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The life of an idol is busy, especially after debut, but Seungkwan revealed that they couldn’t sleep while commuting to schedules, and they would have to wake each other up.
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Seungkwan added that the tough schedule upon debuting and the food they ate, he gained weight, but the members would get scolded if their clothes didn’t fit.
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When the video was posted, this specific clip garnered a lot of attention, and it broke the hearts of netizens who called out Pledis Entertainment for “child abuse.”
this is abuse. child abuse. i hope all of pledis burns down https://t.co/akl4Mbpl2S
— tiny issue club: yaoi committee (@boonisol) January 22, 2026
When they debuted, half of them were minors and the other half were barely 18 or 19. What Pledis did was literally child abuse. And it wasn’t limited to their debut year, as they had been suffering this mistreatment since predebut…pic.twitter.com/z0zUFMjgpN https://t.co/b8xXoyj1yY
— ｃｅｌｅ | 💎 ⁴³ ⁴⁴ (@passsage_) January 22, 2026
no privacy + no rest + no social life + overworked + body shamed + facing immense pressure + in the public eye 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 i guess u can really only laugh bc the alternative is to riot https://t.co/cmNLPObRck
— boozi eater (@321gyu) January 22, 2026
feeling like a criminal for sleeping is actually crazy💔 what happened to basic human rights wtf https://t.co/AKT1Xh6IkF
— ren | 문해 (@soobsungie) January 22, 2026
No wonder why:
-DK and SK said they couldn’t do it again (BibbidiBobbidiBoo)
-Woozi said he just did it angrily (Nana Tour)
-Joshua got drained to the point of quitting
-Jeonghan saying to Joshua “You quit, I quit”
Our boys really endured so much just to achieve their dreams 🥺 https://t.co/xNW7gCvAMs
— BBHumbleEris (@BBHumble_04) January 22, 2026
You can watch the whole video below.