Source Music Called Out For Irresponsible Behavior Towards Young Trainees

In an article by Sports World on July 24, 2024, NewJeans Minji‘s mother spoke up about the harsh treatment her daughter endured from Source Music as a young trainee.

What caught the eye of the public was Source Music’s irresponsibiilty and indifference towards the futures of their young trainees. While  Minji had been a trainee as a teen, she also had a strong interest in academics. She shared that Minji would finish training around 2am, and upon returning home, she would immediately freshen up to get ready for school. There were numerous occasions when Minji would wait outside her school gates at 6 AM, eager for the school to open despite not having slept.

Minji’s mother then revealed that despite Minji’s dedication to her education, Source Music requested her to discontinue her studies. “They even suggested that because balancing high school and practice was challenging, she should not enroll in high school,” she recounted. Minji’s mother explained that for Minji, who was finding her time at Source Music increasingly difficult, school became a welcomed escape.

Since there were no definite plans for her future at Source Music, Minji expressed her desire to continue attending school. Minji’s mother further revealed that the agency proposed Minji “could attend an arts school,” instead of a normal high school. They preferred her to drop out, but suggested this alternative. The problem was that the entrance exams for such schools were imminent. Despite this, Minji managed to pass her exams after seeking out a teacher herself, attending and graduating from Hanlim Arts High School eventually.

Netizens were shocked at how irresponsible Source Music was regarding Minji’s future. After all, a debut was not guaranteed and she would be left a middle school graduate if her path as an idol failed.

• This is too much. They should’ve been stopping her even if she wanted to drop out herself. How can they do that when she’s the one who wants to go?
• They gave her pressure to end up as a middle school graduate, and even tried to cancel their debut? Wow, they have no f*cking conscience LOL.
• Which father would make a child drop out of school?
• Wow, this is really baffling. Source Music is crazy.
• While being unable to confirm her debut, they also tried to make her give up on her studies? How are they proper adults?
• They can’t even promise her a 100% chance of debut even if she dropped out, so shouldn’t they be stopping her? But they egged her on to drop out? Is this FR?

While dropping out or transferring to an arts high school is common practice for trainees, most companies do not force it on their trainees. Dropping out is voluntary for those who want to focus on their training, but in Minji’s case, Source Music had put the pressure on her. As for arts high schools, most hopefuls either prepare to go there to become a trainee, or the company transfers them around debut.