The brokerage system of South Korea was from Japan where the artists are completely protected. Entertainment companies will list out the conditions and wages very clearly before any agreement to reduce the chance of an accident. With this, according to an inside source, South Korea artist’s contracts are harsh to a point that we can’t imagine.
Many people think that only the new artists will be controlled but actually many popular celebrities are also victims of their own entertainment company. When signing a contract, the company will ask every little private detail about your life because they want to know if you have anything in the past that is a red flag. Even things like boy/girl friends, break ups, the company will have to be in control and that makes many artists have no personal life.
A director from Taiwan, China revealed South Korean artists have great respect for their agent, and they dare not to disobey their agent. He said there was once where he had dinner with Korean movie star Jun Ji-hyun, and Jun Ji-hyun didn’t even touch the chopstick until their agent allowed her to start eating.
South Korean artists are also not wealthy in real life. After debut, many artists are asked to sign an unfair contract. According to another insider sources, the effective period of the contract is at least 10 years. After their debut, the artists need to pay a large amount of money to the company, and only after the repayment they are to be able to sign a income-sharing agreement with the company. In the agreement, company will generally get more than 70% of the income. In Hollywood, the big entertainment company will only get 10% and no more than 40% with a new artist.
South Korean artists are all successfully polished, but they are completely different when they are in front of fans and when they are in private. They are very careful with everything and their work load is huge. They also have to put up with the company’s “oppression.” Under many layers of pressure, South Korean artists are like walking on ice.
Star Museum Entertainment
JYP Entertainment
YG Entertainment