Were NewJeans' Minji and ex-ILLIT's Youngseo forced to give up on schooling? HYBE accused of mistreatment
HYBE Labels is under hot waters once again for accusations of mistreating its managed artists. This time, a fan posted a write-up on celebrity discussion portal Pannchoa to claim that the company made the life of young talents hard during their trainee periods, even blocking some from debuting. The post went viral on social media, with fans expressing their disappointment over a big company resorting to such unfavorable means to train their artists.
HYBE accused of pressurizing NewJeans' Minji to leave school
As per the fan-written post, NewJeans' leader and eldest member Minji was forced to give up on education by Source Music, a HYBE subsidiary. Source Music, which houses artists like LE SSERAFIM and GFRIEND, were responsible for the management of NewJeans' pre-debut lineup. During then, they allegedly made Minji undergo arduous training and asked her to quit school, probably to be able to dedicate more time to her K-pop trainee life.
They were also accused of leaving her hanging for several years without any solid debut plans. As per the post, Minji's mother shared how her daughter faced a harsh schedule while living in an unhealthy condition of a cockroach-infested dorm as a trainee. Yet, thankfully, the artist balanced both studies and her idol career.
HYBE accused of forcing Youngseo to leave ILLIT
A classmate of former ILLIT member Youngseo alleged that it was not her own wish, instead the company's pressure that made her leave the group. For those unfamiliar with Youngseo, she was originally part of the final lineup of ILLIT but opted out last minute for undisclosed reasons. As per the source, HYBE forced her to leave ILLIT, citing her education as a hindrance to her K-pop idol career.
They claimed to have known from mutual friends that parting ways with ILLIT, "really wasn't her (Youngseo's) decision."
These incidents brought back talks of similar accusations in the past, including NewJeans claiming that their shared information with the company-provided psychologists used them against them. NewJeans past claims of being scared on their trainee vidos gettig leaked also resurfaced. These shed light on how gruelling lives of K-pop trainees actually are.
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