South Korea Introduces New Law To Protect Young Idols From Forced Weight Loss And Plastic Surgery

According to reports on January 11, KST, a new law has been created to protect the human rights of young trainees in the K-Pop industry.

A photo from an agency’s training program | News Ade

The Seoul Metropolitan Council recently shared that the “Ordinance on the Protection and Supports of the Rights and Interests of Young Cultural Artists in Seoul” was finally passed in December last year during the 321^st regular plenary session. The bill was proposed by Councilor Kim Gyu Nam from the People Power Party.

Kim Gyu Nam | Herald Corp

The law focuses on Seoul specifically since the city council reports show that as of September last year, 82.3% of the 4,774 entertainment agencies in South Korea were registered and operating in the capital city. So, the majority of the auditions, training, and activities surrounding idol trainees take place in Seoul. But unfortunately, the city lacks the institutional basis required to protect the rights of these young hopefuls.

The newly passed ordinance primarily aims at preventing any damage to the physical and mental health of young trainees, especially through practices like forced weight loss or plastic surgery. The ordinance will also empower the city council to support psychological assessments and counseling for trainees to help with these stress triggers.

Seolhyun, one of the idols well-known for being subjected to strict dieting rules all her career

Many well-known idols of today have spoken about the physical and mental hardships they had to endure due to the toxic body weight standards of K-Pop. Former AOA member Seolhyun once revealed during an interview that despite being 167m tall, her agency told her to maintain a weight of 48 kgs. TWICE member Momo has also spoken about her heartbreaking struggles with weight loss before her debut.

Momo as a participant on the trainee survival show “SIXTEEN”

I didn’t eat anything for the whole week and went to the gym all the time. I spat all the time so there was no water in my body. And when I laid down on the bed and tried to sleep, I was scared that I wouldn’t wake up again, so I suddenly started crying.

— Momo

The law also takes dropout trainees into consideration. The city council plans to provide such youngsters with career counseling to help them explore new paths in life.

City Councilor Kim Gyu Nam spoke to the press about this ordinance, highlighting the immense amount of pressure young trainees carry on their shoulders. While K-Pop has expanded its outreach to the world, the anxieties related to the job have also grown that much bigger. Amidst this situation, Kim said that the Seoul Metropolitan Government will try its best to protect the trainees’ rights and interests and allow them to enjoy a stable period of growth.