FIFTY FIFTY Members Make Horrifying Allegations Of Severe Neglect Aimed At ATTRAKT
Content Warning
Content Warning
FIFTY FIFTY member made several shocking allegations against ATTRAKT.
On October 13, FIFTY FIFTY members took to their Instagram account to make alarming and potentially criminal allegations of neglect and mistreatment at the hands of ATTRAKT.
In an Instagram post, the members uploaded their grievances, asking, “How Much Longer Do We Need To Hurt To Receive Proper Care?” The members then claimed that they were mistreated by ATTRAKT and that the label ignored the members’ well-being.
We had to endure despite fainting because we couldn’t give up the blood, sweat, and tears that we poured into performing on stage! We ask that you understand our pain. We want to be protected.
*All citizens have rights as humans to pursue happiness with dignity.
— FIFTY FIFTY members
The members then apologized to fans and hoped that they would be able to perform for them again.
We are apologetic and bow our heads to those who have had to watch this unfortunate situation. Still, we remain hopeful that we will be able to perform for fans again. We will muster up the courage to talk about our pains. How much longer do we need to hurt to receive proper care?
— FIFTY FIFTY members
FIFTY FIFTY members continued their post, writing several alarming instances in which the members needed emergency care. The members then claimed that they only had each other to lean on.
Injuries are like air to idols — they will always be around. We were able to perform because of our desperate desire to keep making music. We know that this is what it takes to achieve our irreplaceable dreams of making music, and so we are rooting for all the artists who are going through this. But we can’t say that the things we went through were normal and minimize them. Even when a member had to call an ambulance alone, barefoot, due to pain, and even we fainted, there was nobody to protect us. We had to carry the members on our back to the emergency room.
— FIFTY FIFTY members
The members then alleged that while recording their album, one of the members needed a respirator due to anxiety attacks to finish the songs and that another member had to push back her surgery to finish recording “Cupid.” Several members then listed the pain they had suffered in detail and included hospital diagnoses as evidence.
Saena — Because of my harsh diet, I have been losing hair, and without medicine, I am unable to have my period. It took my hormones six months to stabilize, and my anorexia and bulimia were so bad I had once only weighed 39kg.
Sio — Since my debut, I have been suffering from tremors and headaches, and I would blackout often. I went to a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with severe anxiety and social phobias. Despite struggling and needing courage to ride cars, elevators, and even going outside, the label did nothing to help me. I never knew when my symptoms would get worse, so I was always in fear, but I never received help from the label. I had to rely on myself and medicine, and without the medicine, I would faint. Once, due to trying to hide my anxiety at an upcoming meeting with the label’s board members, I ripped the skin in between my fingers. I went to the hospital to treat the wound because over-the-counter treatment wasn’t enough, but suddenly, all I saw was white, and I fainted at the hospital.
The doctor put me on a respirator and called 119 (emergency responders). At the time, I was away from my parents, so a manager was my guardian, but despite hearing everything that had happened from the emergency responder, they only told me to take a cab to the dormitory. I’ve had countless amount of similar episodes since, but the label did nothing and didn’t offer any condolences. This is traumatic for me, and it hurts me that this is something people can use to make fun of me.
At the beginning of my debut, I had to go to a university hospital due to problems with my stomach and was told that if I didn’t want my kidneys to go into dialysis, then I had to start eating healthy, but the label insisted that I remain on a diet. Although the label claimed that our health was first, they would become hypocrites when we gained even a few grams of weight.
Arin then made a damning testimony in which she alleged that she had to remove her gall bladder due to the mistreatment. Despite the pain and suffering, the idol claimed the label only cared about when she would be able to return from her surgery to perform.
Arin— I had to remove my gall bladder at 19. The gall bladder that was removed looked diseased and much older. It represented me.
My health started failing me about 10 months before my debut. I first thought it was gastroenteritis, but the medicine I was prescribed didn’t work, and I was only correctly diagnosed 1 month after learning of our comeback date. I learned about the disease and surgery procedures through my manager. I couldn’t believe it so I went back and forth getting examinations at different hospitals. I just hoped that I would be able to be healthy enough to push the surgery to promote.
My gall bladder became increasingly worse, and the number of polyps larger than 1 cm had increased. I heard that they could become cancerous, and I was nervous. The doctor recommended that I immediately undergo surgery, but because I couldn’t risk the comeback, I chose to risk it. I didn’t know when I would be given time to undergo surgery, and I was in pain every day. I threw up everything I ate every night and relied on pain medication for months, and I was in pain from bloating from the gas build-up and not being able to relieve myself for 20 days at a time. Despite my health, I wasn’t given immunity to weight restrictions. We were weighed in our underwear every seven days. We weren’t even allowed to gain 0.1kg. Due to the pressure, I often fasted several days at a time. I couldn’t be honest and say I couldn’t take it because everyone was struggling. I was only waiting to learn when I could have the surgery and when I would be given help. My exhausted heart and diseased body are now at their limit.
The planned surgery was pushed back to early April. I tried my best to fulfill my duties to the label and members. I did my best to film and record for the time I’d be away recovering. Because I wouldn’t be able to practice normally after returning, I asked to be given enough time to recover. But one week after surgery, I was asked by the label when I would be returning, which stressed me out, and then I was offered to film a commercial in early June. After we filed the lawsuit, people I’d never met would come to my house and knock loudly and wait for hours, saying they wanted to talk, which scared me. After that, my heart closed, and I went through a hard time during which I couldn’t even look at my family.
There was no sincere condolence and understanding. Even during all of the crazy rumors, I couldn’t eat or sleep due to the side effects of the surgery, and I lost 7kg in a month. Because I couldn’t even stand for long, I was afraid to start anything. Without ever receiving any help, I was sacrificed to the rumors. I can’t begin to list the pain my family went through at this time. We were little machines to the label that had to move until we couldn’t. I was no longer in the condition to sing.
It’s notable to mention that the members’ allegations against ATTRAKT seem contradictory to Dispatch‘s previous report in which they revealed text messages showing that it was The Givers‘ Ahn Sung Il who threatened to quit if Arin didn’t continue promoting despite her health. You can read about it in the link below.
Dispatch Reveals The Truth Behind FIFTY FIFTY’s Entire Production, Ahn Sung Il, And The Givers