A terrifying reality from the world of Asian pop music. Horrifying reality from the world of Asian pop music Slave contracts

Kami-kiri, or as they are also called kamikyu ("hair cutter"), are mystical arthropod-like demons with razor-sharp, scissor-shaped arms and beaks. Despite the fact that few people outside Japan have heard of them, in the Land of the Rising Sun itself, kami-kiri is mentioned quite often.

There were cases when this strange-looking demon even ended up on the pages of newspapers. In addition, the police were given orders that if they saw an unbelted kami-kiri, they would immediately subdue him.

Appearance of kami-kiri

Initially, kami-kiri was described as a huge, bear-like creature with a completely black body and glowing eyes. He would suddenly pounce on unsuspecting people from behind, screaming "Mogaaaa!", before sinking his scissor-like teeth into the victims' hair. Most often he attacked people right on the street.

However, over time they began to describe him completely differently. Now he has become a very cunning demon with a rather frail and skinny body. His arms became long and claw-like or scissor-like, as did his crow-like head, which had a beak on it.

The evolved kami-kiri became more persistent and nimble. Thanks to your small sizes, he could enter the house unnoticed through windows or doors. Then he made his way into the bathroom and there quietly gave his “client” a forced haircut. After this procedure, he grabbed the cut hair and retreated.

Habits of a kami-kiri

Kami-kiri act very secretly. Their goal is to carefully sneak up on the victim and suddenly cut off a clump of hair, and if possible, even more. They can hide on roofs under tiles and when someone walks under them, they cut off hair. Moreover, they absolutely do not care who they attack, be it women or men, poor or rich.

The habitat of these demons is cities, in particular alleys, and bathrooms are their favorite places. Quite often, kami-kiri are not noticed until they see a cut lock of hair on the ground or until another person tells the victim about the cut off lock of hair. It was not uncommon for a kami-kiri to go about his business while a person was sleeping on the bed.

The kami-kiri was a particularly terrible monster in those days when long hair was popular among the Japanese. He was most feared in the aristocratic quarters. Nowadays, kami-kiri are no longer feared as much as they used to be.

In rare cases, a kami-kiri attacking a person may mean that the victim is about to unknowingly marry a ghost or youkai. The thing is that, according to legends, sometimes werewolves or kitsune can deceive a person and marry him. However, such marriages usually end in disaster, and the kami-kiri try to prevent them from taking place.

How to get rid of kami-kiri

This is not easy to do. However, at least one method is known. To do this, you will need a spell, which you need to write on the door of the room or on an object that you wear in your hair (for example, a hairpin). If you follow all the rules, this demon will not harm you.

Text of the spell: "異国より悪魔の風の吹きくるにそこ吹きもどせ伊勢の神風", which translated into Russian means: "When the devilish wind comes from foreign lands, may God and they will send him a contrary wind from Ise." Ise is considered sacred place Shinto, highly revered by monks.

Trace of kami-kiri in culture and history

At the end of the 17th century, there were repeated reports from people that they were shaved bald by an unknown creature during night walks. Moreover, people did not notice this until someone told them about it. Then they returned along the same route and the hair returned to its original place.

Later, on April 2, 1810, an incident occurred with Tomigoro Kojima's maid in Edoshimota. In the morning, as usual, she went outside, but when she opened the door, she suddenly felt that something had fallen from her head. Looking down, she saw her own hair on the floor.

And one of the cases was even published in the newspaper. It happened in the vicinity of Tokyo on May 20, 1874, at about 9 pm. The young maid, whose name was Gin, went from the master's house to the annex. Entering it, she felt an unpleasant chill, and within a moment her hair fell onto the girl’s face (her long tail was completely cut off). The girl succumbed to panic and ran to the neighbors’ house, and when she ran into it, she fainted. Then the neighbors went to this annex and examined it, finding Gin’s hair scattered on the floor. Since that unfortunate incident, this extension has never been used again.

In modern culture, the image of kami-kiri can be found in various manga and anime. The most famous character can be called Kami-kiri from the well-known Naruto series. True, there it is not a demon, but a person. This gloomy type was not noted for special merit in this anime series, but was remembered by many viewers.

Many people consider the Japanese to be Buddhists. There are indeed many Buddhists in the Land of the Rising Sun. But the traditional religion of Japan is Shintoism. This is a very ancient faith and completely open to all those interested. However, surprisingly little is known about it outside the islands.

The Japanese concept of “Shinto” can be translated into Russian as “the way of the gods.” This is the name of the traditional religion of this people. The Japanese believe that gods, like the souls of the dead, live everywhere. Only the material shell dies, but the souls remain and receive refuge in natural objects or objects created by human hands.

The Japanese call these eternal souls of the world "kami". Kami can live in stones and trees, take possession of an entire grove or mountain, a waterfall or river, a sword, a mirror, a precious ring, a tablet with a sacred text... For us, the world is filled with “empty objects”; for the Japanese, all objects in the environment world - these are someone's souls.

Kami-kiri, also called kamikyu "Hair Thief".

Dispute between gods

According to traditional Japanese beliefs, our world was created in the following way. At first everything was in a state of chaos, and there was neither harmony nor beauty anywhere. But one day all the elements of the world began to gather in divine pairs.

Among the chaos, heaven and earth suddenly appeared - Takamanohara and the Akitsushima Islands (High Sky Plain and Dragonfly Islands). And then the first gods appeared. One such divine couple created the island of Onnogoro (the Middle Pillar of the Earth), and from their marriage many other islands and other kami were born.

Hyakkyagyou - "Parade of a Hundred Demons" An ancient legend says that every year Japanese supernatural creatures come out during the summer nights.

But nothing lasts forever, not even the gods. Having given birth to the fire god Katsuguchi, the goddess Izanami died and went to the Land of Darkness. Her husband Izanagi was grieving the death of his beloved and decided to take her away from death: he went to the underworld and found her decayed body. But the sight of this body frightened him so much that, sobbing, he returned to the ground and blocked the entrance to the dungeon with stones.

He himself went to perform ablution - he was so disgusted by the sight of decomposed flesh. While washing his face, he shook off the drops, and thus the gods began to be born. From the drop that washed his left eye, Amaterasu, the sun goddess, was born. From the drop that washed her nose is her brother Susanoo, the god of the wind. And many others.

The goddess Izanami, who resides in the world of the dead, became angry and promised to kill the people he had created in revenge for her husband’s cowardice, and her husband promised her to build more and more huts and populate them with people. So they began to compete with each other: Izanami kills people, and Izanagi produces new ones. There was also enmity between Amaterasu and Susanoo. The brother once burst into Amaterasu’s chambers and scared her so much that her sister took refuge in a cave.

It became dark on earth, eternal night came. Only with a concerted effort did the gods persuade Amaterasu to look out of hiding. And then the clear sunny day returned again. And the obstinate Susanoo was driven out of sight so as not to frighten his sister. The Japanese believe that Amaterasu became the ancestor of the imperial family.

The goddess's grandson, whose name was Ninigi, descended to Japanese islands to rule people. And a descendant of Niniga named Jimmu became the first emperor of Japan. According to tradition, it is believed that Jimmu founded the state in 660 BC.

From generation to generation, the Japanese passed on a sacred object: the mirror of the goddess Amaterasu, which is considered a symbol of imperial power. As they believe on the islands, the sacred mirror is still kept in one of the three imperial temples. After all, according to Japanese beliefs, the emperor is not the deputy of God on earth, as Europeans believed, but he himself is a deity. It was only after World War II that Japanese emperors agreed to no longer call themselves gods.

Life without suffering

While Christians have an established creed, the Japanese do not have rigid dogmas. They simply know that initially the world is good, and evil comes into it when people lose their purity and stop listening to their own soul. Good and evil as separate concepts do not exist at all. Evil, by and large, is just a “disease,” and a person who is greedy or cruel is sick. If he can restore the original purity of his soul, he will recover. There are many myths and legends on this topic.

Sometimes insight comes under the influence of sleep. Sometimes a person suddenly hears the voice of a kami, which guides him on the right path. And sometimes he himself understands his mistakes and vows to correct them. The Japanese do not know any punishment after death, like Christians. But evil souls, after the death of their owners, can become evil spirits and frighten good people, even appearing to them in the form of ghosts.

The Japanese consider illness and death to be undesirable for their kami: it was not for nothing that Izanagi fled from the decomposed body of his wife. It is forbidden to enter temples with bleeding wounds or if a person has lost bodily integrity and purity due to illness. Inside Shinto shrines you will not see the graves of righteous people and heroes, as is customary in Christian culture. Burying someone inside a temple is the same as making the temple a haven for evil. Temples should give peace and peace of mind, and not remind us of suffering and death.

To live virtuously and honor the gods and ancestors, the Japanese build Shinto temples, which consist of two parts. The first part is the honden, where the altar is located and the sacred object, which is possessed by the spirit of the kami, is kept. The second is haiden, a room for believers. Sometimes both halls are connected into one. Sometimes the honden is right under open air, and the altar is a stone or mountain. The temple may look like a rectangular area with two pillars - gates without doors, called torii.

The services are led by a kannushi dressed in a white kimono, matching pants and a black cap. Sometimes his assistants, miko, take part in them. In temples, the Japanese perform four Shinto rituals - symbolic purification (harai), offering to the gods (shinsen), ritual prayers (norito), ritual feast (naorai). Harai involves washing the mouth, hands and face with temple water. Any gifts to the gods can be used as shinsen - food, objects dear to the heart, sacred texts, money.

Prayers are usually read by clergy and accompanied by other rituals, and all parishioners gather for a ritual feast. They eat and drink some of the offerings to their kami, sharing a ritual meal with the spirits. Some prefer to pray to the kami alone. For the uninitiated, it looks strange - a person stands in complete silence, sometimes spreading his arms wide and clapping his hands forcefully. The Japanese believe that by clapping they attract the kami's attention to their prayer.

In addition to temples, the Japanese pray at home altars, which often look like a simple shelf on which sacred objects are placed. A couple of times a year, Shinto shrines celebrate major holidays that are either related to the history of a particular temple or are dedicated to the deity that protects it.

Kami named Christ

Shintoism originated in the distant past of Japan and permeates all Japanese culture. At the same time, this religion is very tolerant of other beliefs, therefore it has absorbed, for example, features of Buddhism. You can often see images of Buddhas in Shinto shrines. There may even be Buddhist sutras read and Buddhist symbols used.

At one time, Japanese Shintoism was so closely intertwined with Buddhism that even Shinto Buddhist temples appeared. And only a special decree of the emperor stopped this fusion. In some areas, Shintoism is intertwined with Confucianism.

The only “imported” religion that failed to intertwine with Shintoism is Christianity. And not at all because the Shintoists were not ready to introduce the European Christ into their pantheon. Jesus showed himself to the Japanese excellent kami, and they were ready to worship him. But the Christians were outraged. They demanded that the Japanese recognize the exclusivity of Christ and their kami as harmful spirits. The Japanese did not agree to this.

The funny thing is that the Japanese themselves consider Shinto not a religious doctrine, but the cultural characteristics of their homeland. Even the name of Japan - the Land of the Rising Sun - is associated with the Shinto goddess Amaterasu. Religious and cultural layers in the consciousness of the Japanese are so closely connected that they cannot be separated. This amazing unity gave rise to a special Japanese way of thought and life, which seems completely incomprehensible and very attractive to foreigners.

Nikolay KOTOMKIN

Korean, Japanese, Hong Kong, Chinese and Taiwanese pop music are becoming increasingly popular on the world stage. Japan, which is the world's second largest music market, is known for its "eccentric" entertaining music videos. Korean K-pop, which originally emerged as a musical genre (with elements of Western electropop, hip-hop, dance music and modern rhythm and blues), has over time grown into a large-scale subculture with millions of fans in Asia and beyond. However, behind the pretty faces of beautiful young men and women singing and dancing to sophisticated pop music (usually written by Scandinavians, which is quite surprising), there is actually something dark and terrible hiding...

1. Sasaeng

The Korean word sasaeng is a neologism meaning fanatical fans of K-pop artists.

K-pop artists have millions of fans both in South Korea and abroad. The most fanatical of them are the “sasaeng fans,” who are ready to do anything for their idols. These typically include girls between the ages of thirteen and twenty-two whose obsession with pop idols has reached an unhealthy level. One ardent fan of artist Ok Taek Young from the popular Korean group “2PM” sent him a letter in which she wrote in her own menstrual blood: “To you, Taek Young, I dedicate this letter written with my menstrual blood. Well, Taek Young, now you won't be able to live without me. In the envelope you will also find a tuft of my pubic hair.”

K-pop group JYJ's Park Yoochun was shocked to say the least when he learned that sasaeng fans had installed (or hacked) cameras in the parking lot of his home and posted photos online of him leaving and coming home. .

The personal lives of the members of the Korean pop group TVXQ seem to be of particular interest to their fans. Fans are reported to have made a copy of one TVXQ member's apartment key, hacked his cell phone to check who he was calling, used his personal stamp to register marriage documents, put women's underwear in his bags, and ordered food delivery for the house, for which, naturally, he had to pay. Other members of the group had to deal with the fact that at night fans snuck into the hotel rooms where they were sleeping and began to kiss them. In addition, relatives of “TVXQ” members often receive calls from crazy fans.

Sasaeng fans are always fiercely protective of their "territory", attacking those who dare to approach or touch their pop idol. Some sasaeng fans are reportedly pouring urine and smearing feces on doors hotel rooms, where K-pop stars stop to “mark their territory.”

Sometimes sasaeng fans ruin their lives for the sake of being able to constantly pursue their idols; they drop out of school and become prostitutes to earn money to pay for special taxi services. These taxis travel at speeds of 200 kilometers per hour to keep up with the buses in which pop idols tour the country.

2. Anti-fans

They say that hate is not the opposite of love; rather, they are two sides of the same coin. This is especially true in the case of anti-fans, who hate certain pop stars and go out of their way to harass them, as well as their fans.

In 1999, Kang Mi-young of the popular Korean group Baby V.O.X received dozens of envelopes filled with razor blades and an angry letter written in blood in the mail, along with photos of herself with her eyes gouged out.

In 2000, g.o.d member Yoon Kyo Sang received a drink mixed with bleach and detergent. It was drunk by his mother, who later ended up in hospital.

In 2006, TVXQ member Yunho needed a gastric pump after drinking a drink mixed with glue.

In 2008, during the Dream Concert, girls from the South Korean group Girls' Generation became victims of an incident that later became known as the Black Ocean. There were rumors that the members of Girls' Generation were disliked by many due to their excessive arrogance. Fans of boy bands such as TVXQ, SS501 and Super Junior hated the girls from Girls' Generation for allegedly encroaching on "their boys", so they decided to organize a boycott during the Dream Concert " When the members of Girls' Generation took the stage, they were greeted by darkness and complete silence in the stands instead of the cheers of their fans.

3. Tablo rapper diploma

The anger and fury of anti-fans is not limited to physical attacks and public insults. Reputation attacks, even if unfounded, can cause enormous damage to popular Korean artists. The most striking example of this is the story of rapper Tablo, also known as Daniel Son Woon Lee. He is considered one of the most famous hip-hop artists in the Korean music scene. After Daniel Song Woon Lee announced his engagement to actress Kang Hyo Jung, he began to receive vicious attacks from anti-fans.

In the latest case, a South Korean online anti-fan community called "TaJinYo" (a Korean acronym meaning "We Demand Truth from Tablo") accused Daniel Sung Woon Lee of misrepresenting his graduate degree from Stanford University in California, USA. fake. When Tablo released a copy of his gradebook and was publicly vouched for by Stanford University employee Thomas Black, anti-fans turned to conspiracy theories. They began to claim that Tablo had stolen the identity of another Korean Stanford graduate named Dan Lee, an engineer living in Wisconsin.

Anti-fans then turned their anger against Tablo's family, accusing his mother of not winning but buying a gold medal at an international hairdressing competition in 1968. Tablo's brother David began receiving threatening phone calls, causing him to lose his job at the broadcaster.

Tablo was forced to terminate his contract with Woolim Entertainment when its representatives stated that "they have nothing to say about the allegations against the rapper regarding the authenticity of his educational diploma."

Eventually, it got to the point where Tablo began receiving threatening messages on Twitter, being harassed by anti-fans on the street, and fearing for the safety of his newborn child.

Only after a journalistic investigation conducted by the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and the publication of the results of an official audit was Daniel Seong Woon Lee able to regain his former reputation. The court issued an arrest warrant for the leader of the Internet community "TaJinYo", who turned out to be a fifty-seven-year-old Korean businessman living in Chicago. In his defense, he stated that libel is not an international crime.

4. Forced sexual relations

Almost all girls in Korea dream of the popularity of K-pop idols and a lot of fans. But once they sign a contract with a company, they have to do more than just work hard and persevere. To achieve success, future stars (even minors) are forced to have sexual relations with clients who are found for them by those who are engaged in their “promotion”. According to one of these girls, clients paid from 220 to 900 dollars for a “meeting” (depending on the fame of the company that forced its clients into prostitution).

In 2010, Taiwanese singer Estrella Lin alleged that while she was a member of 3EP Beauties, the group's promotion company forced her to have sexual relations with potential investors. According to her, it is no secret that Korean actresses and singers voluntarily or forcedly provide sexual services in order to advance their careers.

In 2002, Yana Seok-woo, general director Open World Entertainment company was arrested on charges of forcing young girls and boys (including minors) into sexual relations.

5. Johnny Kitagawa

Johnny Kitagawa, a former American Marine originally from Los Angeles, after traveling to Japan, decided to move to this country for permanent residence. In 1962, he founded Johnny & Associates (an idol agency specializing in boy bands) here. Groups such as Kinki Kids, V6, Hey! Say! JUMP" and "SMAP" may not have achieved international recognition, but they became extremely popular in Japan. Anyone who decides to start working with Johnny & Associates first undergoes a strict background check, and then they are expected to work under harsh conditions, meager privileges and fees, and complete control over their activities.

Johnny Kitagawa maintains the illusion of diversity by funding artists and releasing albums under various sub-labels in order to disguise the monopoly of Johnny & Associates. His company is considered the most powerful force in the Japanese island music industry, the second largest in the world. Kitagawa has enormous power over advertisers, television stations and magazine publishers. He pushes them around, not allowing them to cooperate with competing agencies or forcing them to hide scandals related to Johnny & Associates.

Johnny Kitagawa always prefers to promote artists who, in his words, are "easier to manage." In fact, he means those who are ready to provide him with intimate services. In 1988, Kita Koji, a former member of the boy band Four Seasons" accused Kitagawa of sexual harassment and rape. This did not affect his reputation, as he filed a libel suit and called the Japanese public ignorant.

6. Contracts with slave conditions

For years, Korea has been famous for its "slave contracts" between major labels and emerging artists. According to these contracts, the performer does not have the right to terminate cooperation with the agency before the established period (in some cases it can reach thirteen years). The agency fully covers all costs associated with training future stars, including the cost of vocal and choreography lessons, services of stylists and makeup artists, housing, food, and so on. The contracts also require extremely grueling and stressful work over long hours (in contrast to the flexible, regular schedule of Western pop stars). This is justified by the fact that if you really want to become popular and famous, then you must overcome all the difficulties encountered on the way to your goal.

SM Entertainment, one of Korea's largest music labels, has faced several claims and lawsuits due to its harsh contract terms. In 2009, Han Gyong, a former member of the group Super Junior, claimed that the owners of SM Entertainment forced him to do things he did not want under threat of heavy fines, and did not allow him to take sick leave when he was diagnosed with gastritis and kidney problems.

In 2009, members of the musical group JYJ told the press that thirteen-year contracts with SM Entertainment were essentially concluded for an indefinite period, profits from performances were distributed unevenly, and they were allowed no more than four hours of sleep per night.

These disputes were settled, but in 2012, EXO leader Chris filed a lawsuit to void his contract with SM Entertainment due to their neglect of his opinion and health. In 2009, the Korea Fair Trade Commission introduced “standardized contracts”, meaning that the period for which they are concluded should not exceed seven years. However, other problems were not resolved. Artists are still forced to pay exorbitant fines for terminating contracts with unscrupulous agencies that seek to concentrate all profits in the hands of the prince.

7. Racism

Despite the artistic and stylistic influence that African-American culture has had on the pop music of Korea and Japan, racist sentiments can still be traced in the work of performers from these countries. Korean and Japanese pop singers and entertainers often perform on stage as black people.

In 2012, American professional boxer Floyd Mayweather wrote on his Twitter page: “Undoubtedly, Jeremy Lin [approx. American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association] is a good player, but everyone thinks he's cool just because he's Asian. "Black basketball players do the same thing every night that Lin does, but they're not as popular as he is." Korean-American K-pop composer Jenny Hyun responded inappropriately to this tweet, calling blacks “subhuman, ungrateful monkeys” and “a cancer on the planet” and calling for the eradication of the black race.

Racism against other Asians also occurs. In 2010, three members of the Japanese J-pop group Morning Musume posted photos of themselves with narrowed eyes and wrote: “Who is this? Koreans".

Members of another popular Japanese group, °C-ute, said on an evening show broadcast on one of Tokyo's largest TV channels that Adolf Hitler was " greatest man in world history." They called him “Uncle Hitler” and brought with them a cute caricature of the bloody dictator.

8. How they become stars

Some K-pop idols begin their stardom as children. They are helped in this by booking agencies whose job is to find talented and attractive children. Others become stars after participating in special auditions held both in Korea and abroad, or television programs like the talent show "Superstar K." “Superstar K” is a television music project, in which 4 percent of the population applied for participation in 2012 South Korea.

Once a young artist passes the audition, for example, he is subject to a rigorous training program first developed by Johnny Kitagawa in the 1980s and subsequently refined over time. This is an extremely grueling period that can last several years. During it, young talents hone various skills and desperately wait for their debut.

During the training period, future stars work 14 hours a day; they work out in the gym, dance, swim and sing. Their breakfast is limited to diet cookies, bananas and greens. For dinner they eat chicken breast and a simple salad. After seven in the evening they are not allowed to drink water so that the next morning they look fresh and alert. Future stars visit the toilet and bathroom only under someone else's supervision. They are also forced to wear sunglasses at all times and everywhere. If the producer is not satisfied with anything in the appearance of the future pop idol, he will offer him plastic surgery.

9. Edison Chen

Sex scandals are a fairly common occurrence in the world of Asian pop music.

In 2008, Hong Kong pop idol Edison Chen's laptop broke down. The repairman who repaired it discovered intimate photographs of Chen on the hard drive, where he had fun with famous actresses and pop stars. Later, they all gradually began to appear on message boards in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China. Hong Kong police have arrested eight people on suspicion of leaking information.

After the pictures were made public, a real scandal broke out, ruining the reputations of many of the girls who were captured in the photographs from Chen’s laptop. Bobo Chan lost her lucrative contracts and the young man she was already engaged to. She later flew to the United States of America, where she remained permanently, leaving the entertainment industry forever. Actress Gillian Cheung wanted to commit suicide. Edison Chen himself publicly apologized to everyone and, having decided to temporarily leave show business, went to North America. This, apparently, was the right step on his part, since the leader of one of the Chinese triads promised to pay 91 thousand dollars to the one who would cut off both of Chen’s hands. He returned to Hong Kong only to testify in court. Upon arrival, the police provided him with round-the-clock security and protection from press attacks. In 2009, Chen gave several performances in Singapore, after which the Hong Kong station "Cable TV" received a golden bullet and a letter saying that after the fourth of April Chen should not appear in public at all: "We hope that Edison Chen is serious will heed this warning, otherwise his personal safety will be at risk.”

Chen eventually returned to the stage, but never learned from his past mistakes. In 2011, he again found himself at the center of a sex scandal. This time, photos leaked online showing thirty-one-year-old Chen hugging and kissing naked sixteen-year-old model Kami Jie. Kami Jie admitted that she really slept with Chen, who, by the way, left her right at the conference that took place after the leak of intimate photos.

1. Sasaeng

The Korean word sasaeng is a neologism meaning fanatical fans of K-pop artists.

K-pop artists have millions of fans both in South Korea and abroad. The most fanatical of them are the “sasaeng fans,” who are ready to do anything for their idols. These typically include girls between the ages of thirteen and twenty-two whose obsession with pop idols has reached an unhealthy level. One ardent fan of artist Ok Taek Young from the popular Korean group 2PM sent him a letter in which she wrote in her own menstrual blood: “To you, Taek Young, I dedicate this letter written with my menstrual blood. Well, Taek Young, now you won't be able to live without me. In the envelope you will also find a tuft of my pubic hair.”

The personal lives of the members of the Korean pop group "TVXQ" seem to be of particular interest to their fans. Fans are reported to have made a copy of one of the TVXQ members' apartment keys, hacked his cell phone to check who he was calling, used his personal stamp to register marriage documents, put women's underwear in his bags, and ordered food delivery for the house, for which, naturally, he had to pay. Other members of the group had to deal with the fact that at night fans snuck into the hotel rooms where they were sleeping and began to kiss them. In addition, relatives of "TVXQ" members often receive calls from crazy fans.

Sasaeng fans are always fiercely protective of their "territory", attacking those who dare to approach or touch their pop idol. Some sasaeng fans are reportedly pouring urine and smearing feces on the doors of hotel rooms where K-pop stars stay to “mark their territory.”

2. Anti-fans

In 2000, g.o.d member Yoon Kyo Sang received a drink mixed with bleach and detergent. It was drunk by his mother, who later ended up in hospital.

In 2006, TVXQ member Yunho needed a gastric pump after drinking a drink mixed with glue.

In 2008, during the Dream Concert, girls from the South Korean group Girls’ Generation became victims of an incident that later became known as the “Black Ocean”. There were rumors that the members of Girls' Generation were disliked by many due to their excessive arrogance. Fans of boy bands such as "TVXQ", "SS501" and "Super Junior" hated the girls from "Girls' Generation" for allegedly encroaching on "their boys", so they decided to organize a boycott during the "Dream Concert" ". When the members of Girls' Generation took the stage, instead of the joyful cries of their fans, they were faced with darkness and complete silence in the stands.

3. Tablo rapper diploma

The anger and rage of anti-fans is not limited to physical attacks and public insults. Reputation attacks, even if unfounded, can cause enormous damage to popular Korean artists. The most striking example of this is the story of rapper Tablo, also known as Daniel Son Woon Lee. He is considered one of the most famous hip-hop artists in the Korean music scene. After Daniel Song Woon Lee announced his engagement to actress Kang Hyo Jung, he began to receive vicious attacks from anti-fans.

In the latest case, a South Korean online anti-fan community called "TaJinYo" (a Korean acronym meaning "We Demand Truth from Tablo") accused Daniel Sung Woon Lee of misrepresenting his graduate degree from Stanford University in California. fake. When Tablo released a copy of his gradebook and was publicly vouched for by Stanford University employee Thomas Black, anti-fans turned to conspiracy theories. They began to claim that Tablo had stolen the identity of another Korean Stanford graduate named Dan Lee, an engineer living in Wisconsin.

Tablo was forced to terminate his contract with Woolim Entertainment when its representatives stated that they "had nothing to say about the allegations against the rapper regarding the authenticity of his educational diploma."

Eventually, it got to the point where Tablo began receiving threatening messages on Twitter, being harassed by anti-fans on the street, and fearing for the safety of his newborn child.

4. Forced sexual relations

In 2002, Yang Seok-woo, CEO of Open World Entertainment, was arrested on charges of forcing young girls and boys (including minors) into sexual relations.

5. Johnny Kitagawa

Johnny Kitagawa, a former American Marine originally from Los Angeles, after traveling to Japan, decided to move to this country for permanent residence. In 1962, he founded Johnny & Associates (an idol agency specializing in boy bands) here. Groups such as Kinki Kids, V6, Hey! Say! JUMP and SMAP may not have achieved international recognition, but have become extremely popular in Japan. Anyone who decides to start working with Johnny & Associates first undergoes a strict background check, and then they are expected to work under harsh conditions, meager privileges and fees, and complete control over their activities.

Johnny Kitagawa always prefers to promote artists who, in his words, are "easier to manage." In fact, he means those who are ready to provide him with intimate services. In 1988, Kita Koji, a former member of the boy band Four Seasons, accused Kitagawa of sexual assault and rape. This did not affect his reputation, as he filed a libel suit and called the Japanese public ignorant.

6. No dates

In 2013, Minami Minegashi of the J-pop group AKB48 shaved her head and posted a video on YouTube in which she begged for forgiveness in tears. What did she do that was criminal? Started dating a young man. Typically, the owners of Japanese idol agencies force young performers to sign contracts that state that they are not allowed to date anyone during the contract period. Shukan Bunshun magazine published photographs showing Minami Minegashi outside the home of Alan Shirahama, a member of the popular boy band EXILE, wearing a baseball cap and a surgical mask covering his face. The agency that promoted Minegashi reprimanded her and forced her to make a public apology. Such moral standards, in principle, can be considered acceptable, if you do not take into account the fact that the group "AKB48", of which Minegashi became a member at the age of thirteen, is known for singing songs with sexual overtones like "My school uniform is bothering me." The theme of the group "AKB48" is based on the concept of "forbidden love" between people with a significant age difference. Former "AKB48" singer Tomomi Kasai once found herself at the center of a scandal after she mass media There was a photograph showing her with a boy who was covering her bare chest with his hands. Considering all this, the ban on performers maintaining any relationships with the opposite sex, introduced supposedly for moral reasons, seems simply ridiculous.

In turn, male performers do not seem to adhere to any rules or standards at all. They date whoever they want, get drunk, get naked, yell at police officers in parks, in general, do everything to attract the attention of the media and not lose popularity. Meanwhile, in 2015, members of the group "Aoyama St. Hacha Mecha High School", Miho Yuki and Sena Miura, were forced to leave the group after it became known that they were dating their fans. Moreover, the Moving Factory agency, which was involved in their promotion, sued the girls, their legal guardians and even the young men they dated. This caused an extremely negative public reaction.

7. Contracts with slave conditions

SM Entertainment, one of Korea's largest music labels, has faced several claims and lawsuits due to its harsh contract terms. In 2009, Han Gyong, a former member of the group Super Junior, stated that the owners of SM Entertainment forced him to do things he did not want under threat of heavy fines, and did not allow him to take sick leave when he was diagnosed with gastritis and kidney problems.

8. Racism

Racism against other Asians also occurs. In 2010, three members of the Japanese J-pop group Morning Musume posted photos of themselves with narrowed eyes and wrote: “Who is this? Koreans".

Members of another popular Japanese group, °C-ute, said on an evening show broadcast on one of Tokyo's largest television channels that Adolf Hitler was "the greatest man in the history of the world." They called him “Uncle Hitler” and brought with them a cute caricature of the bloody dictator.

9. How they become stars

Some K-pop idols begin their star journey as children. They are helped in this by booking agencies whose job is to find talented and attractive children. Others become stars after participating in special auditions held both in Korea and abroad, or television programs such as the talent show "Superstar K". "Superstar K" is a television music project that received applications from 4 percent of the South Korean population in 2012.

10. Edison Chen

Sex scandals are a fairly common occurrence in the world of Asian pop music.

After the pictures were made public, a real scandal broke out, ruining the reputations of many of the girls who were captured in the photographs from Chen’s laptop. Bobo Chan lost her lucrative contracts and the young man she was already engaged to. She later flew to the United States of America, where she remained permanently, leaving the entertainment industry forever. Actress Gillian Cheung wanted to commit suicide. Edison Chen himself publicly apologized to everyone and, having decided to temporarily leave show business, left for North America. This, apparently, was the right step on his part, since the leader of one of the Chinese triads promised to pay 91 thousand dollars to the one who would cut off both of Chen’s hands. He returned to Hong Kong only to testify in court. Upon arrival, the police provided him with round-the-clock security and protection from press attacks. In 2009, Chen gave several performances in Singapore, after which the Hong Kong station "Cable TV" received a golden bullet and a letter saying that after the fourth of April Chen should not appear in public at all: "We hope that Edison Chen is serious will heed this warning, otherwise his personal safety will be at risk.”

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