With the industry now suffering from what has been nicknamed ‘T-ara Shock’, entertainment companies are busy trying to keep the fire away from their artists.
One industry official revealed, “In a situation like this, it’s dangerous to even be considered a topic of discussion with the public. We’re all trying to keep our artists on the down low to avoid ‘being caught in the rain’, so to speak.”
Several company officials have started sitting down with their idol group members to lend their ears to any problems they may be experiencing in the group. As they are all in their 20s at the oldest, it’s natural for problems to arise. Officials are using this case as an opportunity to turn the focus to each of their members and work to cut the problems at its roots before they grow into even bigger issues.
Unfortunately, some idols have been met with SNS bans, especially since T-ara’s controversy first erupted from their misuse of Twitter. Some officials have outright banned the use of social networking services to prevent misunderstandings from occurring. An official explained, “There have been a slew of articles coming out about famous figures talking about the T-ara case. It’s not good for anyone to take sides at a time like this so we’ve been restricting the use towards some of our SNS savvy members.”
Many have also taken Nichkhun‘s case into consideration and have gone as far as restricting the number of company outings where drinks are involved.
An official claimed, “About 80~90% of the accidents that occur in the entertainment industry happen right after a drinking party. At sensitive times like this, one problem can turn into a mistake you can’t turn back. That’s why we’ve been checking and making sure that all our members get safely home on time.”
