Popular 2nd-Gen Girl Group Member Exposes CEO’s Indecent Sponsorship Proposal
A former girl group member turned soloist recently exposed the unpleasant side of the entertainment industry, where idols are often pressured into accepting inappropriate proposals to advance their careers.
The singer in question is Jang Hyeri (previously known as Lee Ji In or Jiin), a former member of the popular second-generation girl group Girl’s Day and a trot artist.
On March 3, KST, Jang appeared in a video on the YouTube channel Gofixhae where she was joined by broadcaster Shin Jung Hwan, Kang Byung Gyu, and exorcist Lim Deok Young. In the video, the four talked about various topics related to alcohol.
During their conversation, Kang Byung Gyu brought up the topic of idols being pressurized into attending drinking parties. At this, Jang admitted that she had been put in a similar situation before, and even had to sing at the party. The singer then revealed that these kinds of gatherings are often projected as an undeniable part of growing your career and networking in the entertainment industry.
The hardest part for me even now is when people say things like, ‘Let’s have a drink and talk about work’ or ‘You need to build your network this way if you want to succeed.’ I get a lot of suggestions like that.
— Jang Hyeri
Jang then added that the trend has changed these days with golf replacing drinking parties.
Recently, it’s not just alcohol; now, it’s golf. ‘Do you play golf?’ or ‘How about a round of golf?’ they ask. I don’t drink, and I don’t enjoy those kinds of gatherings. So, I find myself wondering, ‘If I want to work a bit more, do I have to go to this kind of events?’
— Jang Hyeri
The singer then recalled a particularly bitter experience where a CEO at such a gathering had made indecent advances under the guise of helping her career grow.
When I was a rookie, I went to one of those drinking gatherings. There was a very famous CEO there, and he even invited a male rookie to sing and perform. But then he made a certain suggestion to me. He said, ‘I’ll help you grow, but in exchange, you have to be my girlfriend.’
— Jang Hyeri
Jang recalled being shocked at the offer and turning it down. The CEO, however, didn’t back down, and insisted that it was the only way to grow in the industry.
He brought up other female celebrities he had helped through similar encounters and said, ‘I’ll make you like that too.’ It really hurt my pride as a young person, and I thought, ‘I want to succeed without having to do that.’ But he said, ‘You’ll never make it that way. You have to grow this way. This industry is like that.’
— Jang Hyeri
Jang revealed that this CEO is still active in the industry, causing her to run into him sometimes, and even now, he takes jabs at her saying, “You’re not famous is because you rejected my offer back then.”
When Kang Byung Gyu asked if Jang regretted turning down the offer, she honestly admitted that she did wonder how things would have turned out had she said yes. But at the end of the day, even if she could go back in time, she would’ve made the same decision.
Meanwhile, Jang Hyeri was briefly active as a member of Girl’s Day in 2010 under the stage name Jiin but left the group in less the two months after debuting. She re-debuted as the bassist and vocalist of rock band BEBOP, but the group disbanded in 2016. Eventually she changed her name from Lee Ji In to Jang Hyeri and debuted as a trot artist in 2020.
