With the worldwide rise of K-pop and its recurring industry scandals, it is surprising to some that there is no union to protect K-pop idols.
The K-pop industry is known for its intense training process and the imbalance between idols’ personal lives and work. Trainees, some as young as 10, typically practice at least 12 hours a day, working to perfect not just their singing, dancing and rapping, but also acting, media presentation and even etiquette. They navigate strict company rules, restrictive diets and contracts that govern every aspect of their life.
While this system has many horror stories, it produces versatile performers that define K-pop’s global appeal. The select few who become idols are then faced with constant surveillance from fans and media outlets and are pressured to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.
With idols releasing new content and albums nearly every month, the high demands cause them to struggle with their mental and physical health. Several high-profile cases of burnout, hospitalization and, tragically, suicide have brought these issues into public consciousness.
As the industry faces growing scrutiny, questions about idol safety and the demand for systemic reform have become impossible to ignore.
On Nov. 6, 2025, an establishment report was submitted to the Ministry of Employment and Labor to create the Idol Union Preparatory Committee, making this the first formal attempt to unionize K-pop performers.
The union’s purpose is to enforce stronger psychological support manuals, highlight ongoing workplace risks and ensure that idols are treated as employees rather than independent contractors. Their report specifies calls for investigations into how companies handle defamation lawsuits, the formation of a standardized, legally mandated system that addresses idols’ mental health and the excessive control many companies exert over artists’ lives, including restrictions on dating and social interactions.
The committee currently comprises 10 individuals, including current idols, and is chaired by former Teen Top member Bang Min-su.
Despite this union being a much-needed reform for the K-pop industry, fan reactions are mixed.
While some fans believe the union would do little to no harm to the idols themselves, others fear its creation would weaken the industry’s structure, undermine idol contracts and create instability that would impact other stakeholders, such as trainees and new talent.
Some fans on TikTok fear that stronger labor protections might reduce the fan-artist interactions that have become central to K-pop’s business model, such as aegyo —cutesy changes in voice and behavior that sound more babylike or childish. Fans on the Reddit thread r/kpopthoughts have questioned how the union would help idols from smaller groups and those who rely on their company for housing and food. Fans also questioned whether idols from popular groups would step in to provide financial support and aid other idols in the event of an industry-wide boycott.
Fans have further highlighted the humor of Bang serving as the union chair, noting reports that he has made fun of other idols, made misogynistic comments about his female peers and spoken negatively about his own group members.
However, if this union were to succeed, it would reshape the industry’s labor landscape and potentially set precedents for other entertainment industries, from Japanese idol groups to Western pop music.
The coming months will reveal whether K-pop idols can achieve what has long seemed impossible: a collective voice in an industry built on individual stardom and company control. For now, the ten members of the preparatory committee are taking the first steps on an uncertain path, one that could either transform the industry or face the same fate as previous reform attempts that never gained traction.
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