Content Warning
From scamming idols out of money to acts of violence, these managers have made headlines for the terrible ways they treated K-Pop idols. Check out the 6 shocking moments below.
1. Violently kidnapped a former idol in the trunk of his car
Former girl group YPDA member Jo Yu Jeong recently shared the shocking story of her escape after being kidnapped by her manager.
She revealed that “Manager A” who had been working with her for a year tied her arms and legs and threw her in the trunk of his car. Read her full statement about the incident here.
2. Threatened to hit BTS’s Jungkook and V
Back in 2015, a video clip of BTS went viral after their manager was spotted raising his hands towards the members in a threatening way.
During their 2016 BTS Season Greeting DVD making video, V and Jungkook are dressed in Minion sweaters and baggy pants. As the two enter what looks to be a small building, the group’s manager dressed in black raises his hand towards Jungkook in a threatening manner with the BTS member flinching before the manager continues to scold him.
BIG HIT Music (formerly known as BIG HIT Entertainment) released a statement how the manager was fired from his position. However, fans were upset that he was still going to be working within the company.
Hello, this is BTS’ agency, Big Hit Entertainment.
We are sorry to have worried fans with the ‘2016 BTS Season’s greeting DVD Making Film’. Big Hit Entertainment prohibits any forceful action on the artists in order to promote them to be able to show their skill and talent freely. We are extremely regretful that such action took place and the action was even recorded and opened in a video that we know mean a lot to fans.
The manager in question has admitted to the wrongness of his actions, and the company has made him step down from his role as a manager, and we will make his superiors take responsibilities for this action as well.
We will strengthen internal security systems to make sure such things do not happen again. We will look into all other reports of such previous instances as well. Should such things happen again we will take strong actions against the person no matter their position or role in the company.
We take the fact that the core of Big Hit Entertainment’s prophecy was shaken very seriously.
We are very sorry that we did not notice and take care of such an issue internally first.
This has provided us with a chance to look back on whether or not we have forgotten the true reason we began this venture. We will make sure the philosophy of ‘respect and trust for artists’ is strengthened through this happening.
Once again we apologize to all fans who love and cherish BTS.
— BIGHIT Entertainment
3. Inappropriately touching (G)I-DLE’s Minnie
One of (G)I-DLE’s managers is currently under fire for allegedly inappropriately touching Minnie. According to fans, he has been needlessly hanging around the star, even invading her personal space at times.
Fans have accused him of interfering in her interactions with fans who are clearly respecting her space and rules.
4. Scammed BLACKPINK’s Lisa out of ₩1 billion KRW ($817,661 USD)
BLACKPINK Lisa‘s former manager stole ₩1 billion KRW ($817,661 USD) from her through fraud, and wasted it all on gambling. The manager had been with her from debut to 2020.
YG Entertainment released a statement, confirming that Lisa was a victim of the scam and how she will be getting her money back.
We found out through an internal investigation that Lisa was a victim of fraud by her former manager “A”.
According to Lisa’s wishes of an amicable settlement, as he was a former manager she trusted, “A” has agreed to reimburse some of the money he stole, and the rest of the money will be paid back through a repayment plan, and he has left the company.
We apologize for causing concern to fans who love Lisa.
We are very embarrassed by “A’s” behavior of taking advantage of his trust with the artist, and we feel responsible for the management and supervision [of our staff]. We are working on measures to prevent such an unfortunate event from happening again.
— YG Entertainment
5. Openly threw shade at NewJeans
NewJeans‘ Minji and Danielle gained attention after their unreal photos for publications Vogue Korea and W Korea were posted.
In the photos of Minji and Danielle, the general manager of Starship Entertainment @dreamjmj commented “hmm” and “hmm hmm” which were very ambiguous but seemed to have connotations of indifference.
Yet, in another post on Instagram regarding IVE, the manager was more praising and wrote, “You’re doing great, you’re doing great at everything. our Rei is doing the bestest.”
6. Installed hidden cameras in an actresses’ dressing room
Musical actress Kim Kwan Hee revealed that a hidden camera was found in her dressing room. Eventually, it was discovered that Manager B, who is also a current idol group manager, was the culprit. He was immediately fired.
Previously, Kim’s agency released an official statement regarding the incident.
Recently, Kim Hwan Hee reported to the police that a hidden camera was found in her dressing room. The dressing room was not a public waiting room. This room allows actors to change into their outfits and shower after performing. It is a crime for a camera to be installed there and we are currently cooperating in investigations. Due to this, until we state otherwise, the actress will not meet with fans after her performances until recovers.
— Blue Stage
