Breaking news! Or the closest thing you can get to breaking news when you can’t read Hangul.
Various k-pop blogs and news outlets are reporting that Junsu, Micky and JaeJoong of god-like boyband Dong Bang Shin Ki have possibly filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment.
According to news blogs SM’s crappy and life-destroying contracts may have something to do with the sudden betrayal. Of course profit allocation appears to be a driving force behind much of the discontent, as it usually is. Another point of contention is allegedly the handling of a future cosmetic expansion under the group’s name and brand.
Of course fans are in a tizzy, worried that the group will be a no-show at SM Town live, or worse, disband.
I can’t help but draw parallels between this and the Lou Pearlman scandal. For those of you not familiar, Pearlman was the svengali behind many of the American pop acts of the 90’s and early 2000’s – Backstreet Boys, N’SYNC, you name ‘em. Of course after they all became successful, Pearlman was led straight into court, with allegations that while the groups had no doubt collected millions in revenue, the members received only a $300,000 paycheck on average. Other investigations revealed that Pearlman had long been the head of a money laundering Ponzi scheme, and charges of sexual misconduct with his trainees followed. Needless to say, he plead guilty serving 25 years in federal prision.
This is not to imply that Papa SM is a perverted money laundering crook. But seeing the kind of contracts these kids are forced into, it might be a good sign to see k-pop’s golden boys finally stand up for themselves. I hope they don’t disband though. I sure there are many other companies willing to take them. Can you imagine DBSK with JYP, or as a part of the YG Family (gangsta JaeJoong, anyone)? Their need to stay together is paramount, if only to curtail the inevitable Cassie apocolypse in which the grief-stricken fans leave a scorched earch and oceans of blood in their wake.
SM has come out and clarified that DBSK will not disband. The three troublemakers are attempting to loosen their contract so that they will no longer feel like indentured servants.
