Idol stars cry out over dating ban
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'Barring love life may constitute infringement upon human rights'
By Park Si-soo
It’s obvious that a competitive edge in looks facilitates one’s search for partners. Given this, it’s not excessive to imagine that good-looking or pretty young idol stars may be able to choose whom they want to be with during their free time, and the partner is always changeable.
Yet reality runs completely against the assumption. For so many teenage stars in Korea — even those in the 20s — getting a boyfriend or girlfriend is a risky act putting their hard-won fame on the line. Those caught by their management agency for having a romantic affair are subject to stern discipline or, in the worst case scenario, dropped from the company.
However there is an increasing argument among human rights activists that such a ban infringes upon basic human rights of young celebrities. The agencies, on the other hand, insist on its justification, citing the “dating ban” term of contract.
Agency officials claim the provision is necessary to keep young stars from becoming embroiled in an unsavory incident or scandal that can occur while dating. Some candid speakers added it’s inevitable considering the correlation between personal image of stars and their marketability.
Last November, the state fair trade regulator made a jab at the restriction, demanding all agencies lift the ban in a drive to uproot all types of unfair practices. But it seems that the non-binding call has gone largely unheeded considering that there are still many entertainers crying out to reinstate their “rights to love.”
Compulsory vs. voluntary
Four-member K-pop girl band 2NE1 found its name most-searched on major portal websites on July 8 after they hosted a showcase for the band’s 8th new album “Falling in Love” in Seoul. Behind the sensation was complaints over the dating ban the band members spoke about during the pre-release event.
“I feel pity for myself,” said Dara, the band’s vocalist who turned 29. “My (dating) ban was lifted last year and now I’m allowed to date. But nobody has come and asked me out. I wish someone would confidently ask me out.”
CL, the band’s leader who turned 22 and is still under the ban, said the measure was introduced soon after the band made its debut in 2009 to prevent the members from being distracted from work.
“The ban on Minzy and me will be lifted next year,” CL said. But she said it’s doubtful as to whether the lift will immediately lead to having a boyfriend.
“We hardly go out except to appear on TV shows, and we only stand on one stage per week, so we haven’t had much of a chance to meet other celebrities,” the leader said. “Since we’re always working, we haven’t had opportunities to meet new people. Also we’ve never had a break since our debut.”
YG Entertainment spokeswoman Hwang Min-hee said there is “no written term of contract banning them from having love affairs,” adding 2NE1 members have voluntarily shied away from “guys” in respect of the request of their boss Yang Hyun-suk, the YG president.
Kim Bum-joon, president of Music & New that controls several top-tier musicians, echoed the view highlighting the voluntary nature of the measure, saying, “Although they call it a ‘ban,’ it’s not binding.”
“In the Internet age a minor mistake can cause huge and indelible damage to an entertainer’s reputation,” Kim said. “That’s why we ask them to do everything with great care and we monitor them very closely.”
Including Girl’s Day, SISTAR, Rainbow and 4Minute, there are many other idol stars who admitted to having — either voluntarily or not — avoided making emotional entanglement of a relationship for business reasons. But it does not essentially mean there is nobody standing up against it.
In February, Minah of the four-member girl band Girl’s Day, asked her agency boss to lift the dating ban on the group members during a TV show.
“Dating ban...Could you scrap it?” the 20-year-old said. Only a week later, the band’s other member Hyeri confessed that she is in love with Tony An, a singer-turned-businessman who is 16 years older.
In a recent interview, Minah said she made the defiant remark without being aware of Hyeri’s affair and there is no contract term laying the grounds for the alleged ban.
There are many other young stars who have vented frustration about the restriction like Minah, but nobody has elaborated as to whether the method had been applied based on a written term of contract.
“It’s extremely difficult to confirm the actual existence of such a term because it’s top secret,” a management agency insider said. “Perhaps only a couple of top officials know the answer.”
It’s still hard to make it clear, but an agency’s sample form of a contract, revealed to the public in January by the country’s second largest broadcaster MBC, suggests that the no-boy/girlfriend-policy is binding and has been applied against entertainers’will.
The sample stipulates that “getting a boyfriend or girlfriend is allowed three years after making a debut.” It didn’t specify disciplinary measures for violators.
Insiders said those caught breaking any term of contract normally face a hefty financial penalty.
“It’s inappropriate for an agency to intervene in its entertainers’ private lives such as a love affair,” said lawyer Oh Sung-rok. “I think it constitutes an infringement upon their human rights.”