MAMAMOO’s Moonbyul Spills On How Female Idols Communicate After Companies Confiscate Their Phones

In the past, often before K-Pop idols made their official debuts, they would be subject to strict rules set by their entertainment companies. These rules included dating bans, diet restrictions, and several about cell phone usage, including completely banning idols from having them.

While this seems to be less frequent with new idol groups, it still happens. In 2021, STAYC revealed that they were not allowed to have cell phones at all, as per High Up Entertainment‘s policies on rookie groups having cell phones.

STAYC Members Reveal Why They Can’t Have Cellphones Just Yet… And Fans Discuss K-Pop’s “Phone Ban”

Many idols have figured out ways around the rules their company set, like going on dates in cars, and it seems like the cell phone rule is no different!

MAMAMOO‘s Moonbyul recently revealed how girl group members were able to work around not having cell phones to communicate!

Moonbyul was the latest guest on Kim Jaejoong‘s JaeFriends, where the pair chatted about many topics, including their long experience in the K-Pop industry.

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MAMAMOO debuted in 2014, meaning they are closing on ten years in the industry and were subject to some of the older style rules set by K-Pop companies. After discussing some of their achievements, Moonbyul confirms they were prohibited from using cell phones.

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After explaining why, Jaejoong shows distaste for the idea, saying that doing so causes idols to be more secretive, leading to more “accidents.” He recalls that companies would collect female idol phones and temporarily disable them earlier in his career.

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The two then reveal the method used to get around not having cell phones — using iPads or tablets! According to Moonbyul, she did this herself and would carry around a WiFi egg to email other people.

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Jaejoong finishes this segment with a message to entertainment company bosses, saying, “You can’t stop it, it still happens.”

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You can check out the full episode below.