A former girl group member has shed light on the dark side of the Korean entertainment industry.

Miya, a former member of the group GWSN, disclosed her struggles as an idol in Korea, issues with the management agency, and difficulties about starting anew in an interview with Asahi Shimbun on the 22nd.

Looking back on her trainee days, she recalled, "I recently talked to another member of GWSN and we said, 'We were in prison.'" When asked about describing her trainee life as 'prison,' she explained, "We started practicing right after coming back from school, and it was completely dark outside by the time we finished. Actually, that's not a big deal. What's worse is that too many people 'joke' about companies that keep teenagers in prison-like conditions."

Regarding the dietary regulations, she revealed, "Every time we went to practice, we had to weigh ourselves in front of our manager. Then, we had to report our meal plans like 'Today I'll eat a banana and boiled eggs.' It was driving me crazy."

She added, "The company I was with was particularly strict. We had no free time, no money, and our cell phones were confiscated. I could barely communicate with my family through the manager's phone."

She reminisced, "When we were shooting music videos, there was food for the staff, and we used to steal and stash things like tteokbokki and chicken. Such actions strengthened our solidarity." She clarified, "What I mean is a type of solidarity that developed through prison-like or abusive conditions."

Previously, all seven members of GWSN won a lawsuit against their agency, Kiwi Media Group, for contract termination. GWSN, a multinational girl group of seven members - Miya, Seoryoung, Seokyung, Lena, Anne, Minju, and Soso, debuted in September 2018. However, just one year after their debut, they had to move to The Wave Music as their previous agency, Kiwi Media Group, went into rehabilitation proceedings. Following the release of 'THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON' in 2021, their activities were forcibly suspended. From February 2022, all members were evicted from their residence as the company failed to pay rent. In July of the same year, many employees and managers left the company. Especially, Miya and Soso, of Taiwanese nationality, even incurred fines and criminal records due to the company's negligence in handling their visa affairs.

Regarding this, Mia said, "It was a really tough time. I tried to prepare for anything to resume activities at any time, but I ended up spending a lot of time in the residence and eventually, we all went back home." However, she displayed a magnanimous personality saying, "Although it's true that I was illegally staying, I don't know what's happening inside the company. It's infuriating, but it's business-related, so I don't want to blame them too much."

In April, Miya signed a contract with a Japanese agency and announced a fresh start. She said, "Some fans who have supported GWSN for a long time may feel sad about my new start, but someone had to take the next step. In the future, I would like to work as a model or an actor. Or, I would like to audition again. It would be a pity if there is no character like me in K-pop."

Lastly, she requested, "Discussing what I experienced only adds another bullet point to the record of abused idols. It's meaningless to revisit it," asking for future restraint in discussing her past ordeal.

Copyright © 2023 Kpop Reporter. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.