Slave contracts. That's the first thing that catches my eyes about the

K-pop industry. While the bright colors, upbeat music and dance crazes quickly amassed the world's attention,

the biggest K-pop stars were locked in decade-long contracts that mandated their clothing,

outrageously long working hours, and so much more.

While the K-pop craze is associated with light-hearted entertainment,

it seems like the industry itself is everything but that and slave contracts are just the start.

Hello everyone and welcome to the corporate casket.

I'm the aluminati and today we're going to be talking about the

K-pop industry.

As we speak, K-pop fans of the massively successful group, BTS, collectively hold their breaths to find out if the members of the group will have to go on hiatus.

At the height of their career the group is currently waiting patiently or very

anxiously to find out if they will have to put their careers on hold to

complete their mandated military service.

BTS exploded on the scene in the late 2010s and became massively famous not just in

Korea but all around the world.

While their music was widely popular, their consistent acknowledgement of the issues within the industry, particularly revolving

around mental health and the exploitative slave contracts, gained them massive notoriety.

BTS broke through many of the barriers most other K-pop stars deal with. In an interview with

time in 2018 a member of BTS said that the group came together with a common dream

to write, dance, and produce music that reflects our musical backgrounds, as well as our life values of

acceptance, vulnerability, and being successful.

With these goals in mind, BTS seemed to break the mold of the K-pop industry.

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