‘Why did you hide that you speak Chinese?’ Inside the growing tensions between K-pop stars and their managers
An image generated by ChatGPT shows Chinese K-pop group members and a Korean manager arguing at their agency office.
Most K-pop idol groups today include at least one foreign member — part of a deliberate strategy to make inroads into overseas markets. Group A, which debuted after 2010, was no exception, featuring several Chinese members. These members often spoke Mandarin with each other in casual settings.
During one overseas trip, however, a casual conversation among them — which reportedly included complaints about their agency — was overheard by their manager. The manager, though Korean, was fluent in Mandarin, a skill the agency valued when hiring road managers to support foreign members and coordinate activities in the Chinese-speaking market.
When the group returned to Korea, the agency held a separate meeting with the Chinese members and raised the same issues they had discussed privately. Shocked, the members confronted their manager. “Why did you hide that you speak Chinese?” they demanded. The manager replied, “I never said I couldn’t. You never asked, and I simply didn’t mention it.”
The incident highlights the delicate dynamics between foreign members and their management — and the ongoing “China risk” that K-pop agencies have struggled with for years. Several Chinese idols, including Kris and Luhan of EXO and Hangeng of Super Junior, have abruptly halted activities and returned to China. Others, like Lai Kuan-lin (Cube Entertainment) and Zhou Jieqiong (Pledis Entertainment), have unilaterally terminated their contracts. Some have even sparked backlash by referring to the Korean War as the “War to Resist America and Aid Korea.”
These controversies have made agencies increasingly vigilant about potential conflicts with Chinese members. The question remains whether the Mandarin-speaking manager deliberately concealed his language skills or simply saw no need to disclose them. Either way, it was a revealing moment in the evolving relationship between K-pop idols and the people tasked with managing them.
The role of managers — once dismissed as mere “bag carriers” — is also evolving. Job listings, such as those from HYBE, now show that agencies require more than just a driver’s license: candidates typically need a college degree and proficiency in at least one foreign language, such as English, Japanese or Chinese. This raises the question of whether these changes benefit the idols themselves or primarily serve the interests of entertainment companies.
An image generated by ChatGPT shows a female K-pop idol arriving at a U.S. airport with her American manager.
The growing complexity of K-pop’s global activities has also brought foreign managers into the mix. A member of Group B, for example, is accompanied by an American manager during solo promotions in the United States. “It’s much easier to manage visa issues when we hire a U.S. citizen,” a company official said. The move comes as the U.S. government, under President Donald Trump, raised H-1B visa processing fees from $1,000 to $10,000, prompting Korean agencies to reconsider their staffing strategies. The result is a new reality: Korean and foreign managers now compete for the same jobs.
Managers become harder to reach
One more behind-the-scenes note from the industry: when reporters tried to contact two Seoul National University graduates-turned-managers featured in a previous article — “From Korea’s most prestigious school to K-pop manager: why they’re switching paths” — both declined interviews for different reasons. They were uncomfortable with the idea of being in the spotlight, even though they were not celebrities themselves.
Ahn Sung-ki plays the role of a manager in the film "Radio Star." Courtesy of Cinema Service
Reaching managers has become increasingly difficult in general. One manager, rumored to be a graduate of one of Korea’s top three universities — Seoul National, Korea, or Yonsei — was unreachable while on an overseas trip. Many agencies now refuse to share managers’ contact information, and calls often go unanswered. Most media inquiries are handled exclusively by public relations teams.
The trend is reflected in job listings as well. HYBE’s requirements for artist management staff include “a high level of professional ethics and the ability to maintain strict confidentiality regarding information obtained on the job.” With the rise of such “fortress managers,” journalists are finding fewer opportunities for direct communication.
It’s a far cry from the nostalgic image of Minsu (played by Ahn Sung-ki) in the 2006 film “Radio Star,” the devoted and approachable “old-school” manager. Perhaps it’s only natural to miss that era — especially for those of us who are “old-school journalists” ourselves.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.