K-Pop singers Song Ga-in and Ahn Sung-hoon have opened up about the unfair treatment they faced during their early careers under a former agency.
On the 26th, Song Ga-in's YouTube channel featured a video titled '[Bapchingu Wasseora] 14-Year-Old True Trot Siblings Song Ga-in and Ahn Sung-hoon! Revealing All the Stories Circulating? (feat. Black and White Chef 2 Seoul Mom)'.
In the video, Song Ga-in discussed her 14-year relationship with Ahn Sung-hoon. The two, who have been together since their unknown days, were part of the same agency but endured challenging times.
Song Ga-in recalled, "Someone wanted to nurture us, so we joined the same agency. The company was struggling, so during events, while I was changing clothes, Sung-hoon would keep watch outside."
Despite supporting each other by taking on managerial roles, Ahn Sung-hoon faced a troubling situation with the agency. Song Ga-in managed to endure a relatively short three-year contract, but Ahn Sung-hoon was entangled in a seven-year contract, leading to conflicts.
Unable to work freely, Ahn Sung-hoon revealed, "My father met with the agency's CEO and asked, 'Will you let him go since the company is struggling?' but the CEO demanded 5 million won to release a song," exposing the unfair financial demands.
Despite taking legal action, Ahn Sung-hoon accepted the agency's condition of "not singing" in exchange for release, resulting in a seven-year hiatus from music.
Song Ga-in shared, "Sung-hoon is an excellent singer, but he gave up on being a singer and opened a small business. During our unknown days, it was incredibly painful to be hurt by people. Those tough times are indescribable. We were so young."
Song Ga-in expressed concern, "There are probably many such companies even today," and added, "If there are juniors struggling with contracts, I ask those with influence to help them. I want to support them through connections because I don't want the upcoming generation to suffer the same pain I did during my unknown days."
Reported by Kim Eun-jung, TenAsia journalist eun@tenasia.co.kr