FIFTY FIFTY Versus Other Rookie Girl Groups: Netizens Compare Their Living Conditions

FIFTY FIFTY, a K-Pop girl group that the public was rooting for even a few days ago, has now fallen from grace following a series of controversies with its agency ATTRAKT. The group is fighting a legal battle to terminate its contract with the agency, citing cloudy accounting practices and the disregard for the members’ health. In light of this situation, netizens are comparing the group’s living conditions with past girl groups.

Recently, Dispatch revealed a detailed report of the relationship between FIFTY FIFTY, ATTRAKT, and The Givers, a company that managed the creative production of the group’s discography. Jeon Hong Joon, the CEO of ATTRAKT, revealed to Dispatch that he personally took care of all the finances regarding the accommodation and artistic development of the members. Despite being low on funds, he stated that ATTRAKT ensured all four were well cared for.

I didn’t want to discourage my artists. I had their dorm in Gangnam. It was a three bedroom, two bathroom place. The monthly rent was ₩3.30 million KRW (about $2,530 USD). I also got them lessons and training for each aspect…

— Jeon Hong Joon

Taking Jeon Hong Joon’s description of the FIFTY FIFTY dorms into account, netizens looked back at some other girl group’s dorms, who also hailed from small companies with limited funds.

GFRIEND

When GFRIEND debuted in 2015, they were the only artists under Source Music. In some old media clips, the group had revealed their early dorm rooms, revealing two bunk beds cramped in a single room, with almost no room to move. Their living space was also pretty crowded with the six members’ belongings.

Lovelyz

Lovelyz debuted in 2014 and was the first group under Woollim Entertainment. The group’s old dorm reflected the struggles of a small-company group. All eight members slept in the same room, with futons on the floor. This room also served as their closet, with rows of clothes hanging on two shelves against a wall. Netizens mentioned that in some of the footage, one could even see mold growing on the walls.

Secret

Secret debuted under TS Entertainment in 2009. The four group members used to live in an underground apartment and even had to use aluminum foil on the windows instead of curtains!

Netizens also brought up NewJeans‘ accommodation arrangement. As one of the most successful fourth-generation girl groups today, the girl group has received much better treatment than the others mentioned above. NewJeans received their first payment within two months of debuting and seem well off in terms of their living and working conditions. But even this top group revealed that they live in a two-bedroom apartment, where Minji, Danielle, and Hyein share one room, and Hanni and Haerin share the other.

With these comparisons in sight, the majority opinion said that FIFTY FIFTY was treated much better by their agency than most other rookie groups, even according to today’s standards. Netizens extended their sympathy towards the agency while criticizing the group’s members.

• “In many cases, it gets even worse for male idols.”
• “They (ATTRAKT) treated them very well since the beginning…What income were the rookies expecting? Instead, they were probably incurring losses but let it overflow.”
• “My idols also had two bunk beds in the same room, which was shared by five people. They were getting treated like that, but look at the incompetence.”
• “Wow, they are really ungrateful.”
• “They were treated so well since the beginning. Do they not know how to be thankful?”
• “Their accommodation is freaking good. This is really ungrateful.”