Why are Debuting K-Idols Getting Younger?
Introduction to the Controversy
In the current 4th Generation of Kpop, we have seen an increasing number of groups debuting with members who are minors and incredibly young. Growing concern has been expressed by netizens as to the ethicality of the employment of minors in the Kpop Industry, claiming it to be inhumane, unethical and illegal. Employment of minors in the entertainment industry is not foreign, for example Disney Channel which has had many young kids appear on national television. So why is the issue of young kids in Kpop such a controversial issue? With the Kpop Industry being so large and popular, it is important to address this important and pressing issue that concerns many.
Why are they debuting young members?
There are several reasons why Kpop entertainment companies debut young members in their new groups. Firstly, it increased the ‘lifespan’ of the group. All entertainment companies are aware that every group they debut has a lifespan. This is the time that the group remains popular in the media before their fame dissolves as time passes and more newer groups replace the scene. This lifespan was estimated to be around 7 years as most of the contracts between the members in the group and their entertainment companies last 7 years (though this estimation is no longer 100% accurate as nowadays many successful groups have seen to break the 7 year curse e.g BTS & Blackpink) Regardless, for most groups after 7 years, the members would likely hit their 30s and their popularity wouldn’t be as prevalent as before. Thus, most would decide not to renew their contract for another 7 years. This is because the Kpop industry requires a lot of physical labor like long hours of training, learning choreography and singing. Once members age, they might be unable to perform as they used to and might struggle to keep up with the everchanging and active Kpop scene. However, if companies debut younger members, there is a chance that by the time they hit the 7 year mark, they would still be relatively young in the industry and renew their contracts. This essentially allows the companies to manage the group for another 7 years before the members eventually leave.
Secondly, Koreans are typically very particular about looking young, which has made the Kpop beauty standards notoriously high. This means that idols that are in the Kpop scene are typically young and attractive. Therefore, by debuting idols at younger ages, by the time they reach their peak, they would still be young enough to continue leading the Kpop scene thus gaining more popularity.
However, there is a huge debate on whether it is ethical or not. Most idols have to train for many years before they get to debut in a group and must prove their abilities during the rigorous training period. These young idols have started their training when they were incredibly young and thus have been deprived from a normal childhood. They were unable to go to school like regular kids because they had to go to training classes and practice for their monthly evaluations. Even idols who had gone through the training process at an older age had a hard time, so it is unimaginable how these young kids managed to pull through despite being so naive and young. Idols who started training at 15 or 16 (which is considered quite late) expressed their regrets in not having a proper childhood where they could play with friends and socialize with peers. Younger idols start their training at the young age of 5 or 6 and have practically devoted their entire childhood to debut. This raises the question of whether children should be allowed to commence training at such a young age and debut at the ages of 14/15 and whether this would constitute exploitation.
Example of Such Groups
One of the catalysts of the recent concern on this issue, was the debut of New Jeans. New Jeans is the latest group by HYBE, the same company that birthed BTS and TXT among others. New Jeans is a five-member group and the youngest member in the group, also known as the ‘maknae’, is 15 years old and was born on the 21th April 2008.
IVE, a very popular group established by Starship Entertainment, that manages groups like Monsta X and WJSN, has a member who was born in 2007.
In the upcoming girl-group called BabyMonster that is about to debut under YG Entertainment, the company that created Blackpink and BigBang, has a member that was born in 2009 which means she is 14 years old. Due to this, this issue was brought into light again.
Looking at the Past
The question is whether in the past, the debut of young idols was a thing. In the group Shinee, which debuted in 2008, was a global sensation. The youngest member in the group, Taemin, debuted when he was 14.
This is similar to the member that was in BabyMonster who is currently one of the youngest idols in the mainstream Kpop scene. This shows that the debuting of idols at a young age was already prevalent even when Kpop wasn’t popular at all. When Taemin debuted when he was 14, no one had expressed any discontent with it at all and to this day, Taemin is still active in the Kpop scene and is still praised for his music. Thus this begs the question why people find it a problem now when it has been done before in the past.
One can argue it is because there is more awareness about the issue and fans are more concerned about the idol’s well-being than in the past. Kpop as a genre has grown immensely. Thus there are more people who are interested in the industry and have pointed out this potential flaw. However, it can also be noted that despite debuting idols at a young age, they usually start training even younger because they want to achieve their dreams at a faster rate. For young idols, they get to achieve their goal of debuting faster and start working faster as well which in turn, would benefit them financially as they get to stay in the industry longer due to a longer lifespan of the group. These groups will stay more relevant in the future which will allow the idols to continue doing what they love to do, which is performing on stage. However, as fans, we need to spread awareness to make sure companies don’t start debuting even younger members.
Final Verdict
All these are valid arguments and both sides have their own benefits. One side is concerned for the idol’s wellbeing and one side acknowledges that in the long run, it will benefit the idol as they get to do what they love for a longer time before they need to retire. At the end of the day, it is unlikely that companies will stop debuting idols at a young age due to business interests and financial benefits. The idols choose to start training at a young age to pursue their dreams and are not forced to in any way. To even commence training they would have to pass auditions in which they have to sign up for so to say that it is exploitation is not correct as they chose to embark on this journey themselves.
Thus, as fans we can only do the bare minimum of shedding light on the issue and create awareness. As of now there have been no cases where idols who have debuted young have left the industry due to regrets. In fact, having started so young, they become more senior in the industry and become more respected amongst other idols. In conclusion, as long as the idols are happy with successfully achieving their dreams which they have had since they were young, there should be no issue.
[Written by: Adryna Chin Yee Shin. Edited by: Ong Li Zhen]
