MC Entertainment Exposes Spire Entertainment After Working With Them For OMEGA X Tour
Content Warning
Event organizer MC Entertainment issued a statement regarding Spire Entertainment following the CEO’s abuse of OMEGA X members.
Throughout the past few months, FOR X (OMEGA X’s fandom) have become increasingly concerned for the members. In August, OMEGA X were seemingly banned from using their social media. After that, the group carried out their tour of North America, 2022 OMEGA X WORLD TOUR [CONNECT: Don’t give up], which was also fraught with issues.
After the tour wrapped with OMEGA X’s final show in Los Angeles, FOR X reported witnessing the members being verbally and physically abused by Spire Entertainment‘s CEO, Kang Seong Hee.
Guys, I was waiting outside for the Uber Eats that I ordered and I saw the company CEO hitting the members. I really didn’t know what to do since my hands were shaking so much. They were being hit right in front of me but I couldn’t do anything.
— @hwi_418
얘들아 우리 밖에서 음식 시킨 거 우버 기다리고 있는데
애들 회사 대표님이 애들 때리는 거 봤어
진짜로 손이 너무 떨려서 어떻게 해야 될지 모르겠어 애들이 눈앞에서 맞고 있는데 아무것도 못해 pic.twitter.com/vJEqNPzx5n— 유채 (@hwi_418) October 23, 2022
CEO Kang Seong Hee: What have you guys done for me? Did you take care of me when I was having a hard time?
CEO Kang Seong Hee: Stop?
Member: [inaudible]… it was right…
CEO Kang Seong Hee: Who do you think you are? Who do you think you are?
Member: [A member] is going to faint.
CEO Kang Seong Hee: I’ve already fainted before!
*sound of someone falling down*
Member: Oh!
CEO Kang Seong Hee: Get up! Now!
Member: What are you doing?!
*sound of a thud*
*sound of someone crying*
Spire Entertainment has addressed the issue in a statement, claiming that “voices were raised” during a tour discussion between the management and the members.
Following the month-long tour, which began in Guadalajara, Mexico, on September 16 and ended in LA, USA, on October 22, we had a celebratory team-wide dinner. The conversation, which has circulated online via social media, was recorded at that dinner.
At the time, having completed all legs of the tour, the OMEGA X members and Spire Entertainment team were discussing the hard work that went into the concerts, as well as the future that is to come. During this discussion, we also talked about certain moments that caused disappointments in one another. And in doing so, the conversation got heated, and voices were raised.
— Spire Entertainment
Additionally, SBS News reported an exclusive statement from CEO Kang Seong Hee herself in which she addressed the abuse but defended her actions.
It’s a one-sided allegation started by an anti-fan who is hostile toward the management.
I was exhausted because I’ve been up for several nights in a row. I even had a bloody nose because I was so tired. But the members didn’t think to make me feel better. They didn’t care about me. So I felt upset and acted out of disappointment.
Usually, I’m extremely polite toward the members. I even use honorifics when I talk to them.
— Spire Entertainment CEO Kang Seong Hee
Since then, Spire Entertainment warranted more backlash after a video was released by SBS that showed Kang Seong Hee verbally abusing and then physically assaulting leader Jaehan, who appeared to be having a panic attack. The attacks toward the members continued even at their hotel, and additional witnesses reported more instances of mistreatment. Recently, it was reported the members even had to pay their way home to Korea from L.A. after their company canceled their plane tickets.
SBS News shared a clip of OMEGA X's Jaehan who was seen having a panic attack and the CEO yelled at him: “Stand up. Stop being a K-pop idol if you're always sick like this.”
DANG! These boys deserve better protection from this kind of CEO!pic.twitter.com/qkrYpzp6z0
— BL Update (@BLUPDATE2022) October 24, 2022
After all this was exposed, more and more who have worked with Spire Entertainment have spoken up about the abusive tendencies of the company’s staff. This includes MC Entertainment, which in itself has been controversial.
MC Entertainment is the promotion company that at one time was responsible for OMEGA X’s U.S. tour. At the start of it, FOR X became concerned that the tour would be canceled as the members were stuck in Chile. During this time, Spire Entertainment issued a statement, calling out MC Entertainment for “unprofessionalism” as the members’ tickets to New York had been canceled.
MC Entertainment then posted their statement, attempting to clarify. Ultimately, the issue was resolved.
The tour we continued as planned, only New York going to change for tomorrow do Flights issues. https://t.co/ksub8aT4RG
— MC Entertainment (@MCEKpop) October 3, 2022
Yet, it was during this whole situation that one of the first witnesses of CEO Kang’s abuse towards the members was reported. A K-Pop fan’s mom witnessed the mistreatment and stepped in.
Still, CEO Kang continued to vent frustrations related to the tour, particularly about the American tour organizer companies. In one of her now-deleted social media posts, she complained about the first company, Code1, and how MC Entertainment were “scammers.” So, she felt ultimately that she had to handle the entire tour herself.
Finally… My body is breaking down all at once..
I have to go check the rehearsal… but I’m not able to go..The first company that we contracted for the American tour went bankrupt, and the company that took on the tour afterward was much worse scammers than we’d heard.
When we were receiving our tickets to fly back to Korea, we had to stay up all night fighting them.
The tickets that they gave us were on a Filipino airline. The ticket had us flying to Manila after the last LA concert, and stopping there for a day’s layover before flying back to Korea the next…
We asked for a nonstop ticket.
They said they’ll change it to a nonstop ticket, but that was just the start of their lies.And then…
I saw that they canceled the flight to New York… and I had to think about a lot..
I wondered if we’d be able to trust this promoter and go on an 11-city-wide tour..
I believed we needed to go back to Korea.
But the next day, they changed it to a NY venue, and sent us the tickets. And they asked us to send out a false statement, saying that it was because the flight was canceled.Since they sent us the tickets, it was right that the performers continued on with the performance, but there was no reason for us to lie.
When we arrived in NY, the promoters were not there to pick us up. We packed our bags into the bus that they claimed to have sent us.. even though we were exhausted for the past two days… We were just able to complete the NY concert with tears.— CEO Kang Seong Hee
Now, after the CEO’s abuse toward the members was exposed on social media, MC Entertainment finally spoke their part. They posted a letter, calling their time with Spire Entertainment “the worst experience working with a company.” They explained how they got involved with them initially and why there were issues with the flights from Chile to New York. They even exposed that it was Spire Entertainment’s fault for why fans didn’t receive their ticket benefits to take selfies in Atlanta, Georgia, despite it being done at other shows.
It appears that the post has since been deleted. Still, a comment remains from MC Entertainment regarding the issue in the replies to the deleted post. MC Entertainment claimed that, while they haven’t been working with them since the first three concerts, they were trying to help the OMEGA X members. They added that Spire Entertainment “doesn’t deserve them.”
Nosotros, estamos tratando de ayudar a los chicos. Omega X son unos chicos especiales y talentosos. Spire Entertainment no los merece.
— MC Entertainment (@MCEKpop) October 25, 2022
Fan: It is serious that they would make this Tweet after seeing the delicate situation. What is going on Omega X?!? I know that some of your concerts have been okay but you have a bad way of handling many things. Try to fix that and do not use this to victimize yourself.
MC Entertainment: Us, we are trying to help the boys. Omega X are some of the most special and talented guys. Spire Entertainment doesn’t deserve them.
Read more about people who have called out Spire Entertainment below.
8 People Who Have Spoken Out Against The Abuse Of OMEGA X By Spire Entertainment And Its CEO
