GISELLE Says, “What Would I Want to Change in the K-POP Industry?”...The Many Things K-POP Has Looked Away From [HT Focus]

GISELLE’s words during a live broadcast have become a hot topic. As GISELLE of the group aespa recently appeared noticeably thinner, fans expressed concern, and some even raised groundless speculation.

GISELLE communicated with fans through an SNS live broadcast on the 6th and honestly answered a question asking, “How did you lose so much weight?” She calmly said, “I know people talk a lot about my appearance,” but added, “But this is a natural thing. People lose weight and gain weight.”

She continued, “I have gained weight before, and I have lost weight before. It is something that happens as you get older. I lost about 10kg over seven years.” She then opened up, saying, “People who know me well know this, but I have ADHD, so I do not really feel hunger,” adding, “Right now, I am actually trying to gain weight. I was never someone with good stamina to begin with, and I feel that I do not have energy.”

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent inattention, distractibility, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. NINGNING of the same group has also revealed that she has ADHD, making GISELLE’s confession feel even more sincere to fans. Fans who watched the broadcast poured out both concern and support, saying, “After seeing malicious comments all this time, it would almost be strange if she did not develop appearance-related pressure,” and “Health always comes first.”

When asked what she would want to change in the K-POP industry, GISELLE firmly answered, “Fraud,” adding, “I know what I just said does not help me at all.” Still, she faced reality, saying, “Every industry has flaws.” In fact, there have been cases of several K-POP artists suffering fraud damage. BLACKPINK’s LISA was revealed last year to have been defrauded of hundreds of millions of won by her former manager, and EXO’s XIUMIN recently suffered fraud damage related to a performance. Including cases that have not surfaced publicly, the scale is expected to be much larger.

Malicious comments, fraud, and appearance evaluation are recurring problems within the K-POP industry, regardless of years of experience. Amid the trend of debut ages gradually getting younger, this issue must be taken even more seriously. In 2019, the average debut age of K-POP idols was 18.2, but last year, it fell to 17.2, marking an all-time low. Trainee ages are also trending younger, and in just five years, the K-POP market, which had centered around high school students, has shifted toward middle school students.

SHINee’s TAEMIN has said that if he could go back to the time of his debut, he would want to “start after becoming an adult,” and pointed to losing time he should have spent with peers, such as on school trips, as the thing he regretted most. It is evidence that standing under the spotlight at a young age may not always be only a blessing.

As competition to secure stars early becomes fiercer, concerns about how to protect artists must come first. It has already been proven many times that the protection of agencies alone is not enough. It is time to strengthen institutional safeguards and shift awareness across the industry as a whole. To prevent the history of losing precious people from repeating itself, thorough preparation is needed from this very moment.