GWSN’s Former Creative Director Further Exposes The Group’s Mistreatment Under The WAVE MUSIC
A former creative director for 4th-Gen K-Pop girl group GWSN (also known as Girls In The Park), Han Jungsu, recently caught netizens’ attention with his Instagram story, which further exposed the mistreatment GWSN faced with The WAVE MUSIC.
GWSN debuted with Kiwi Media Group in 2018, and when the company went under in 2020, the group signed with The WAVE MUSIC and saw a drastic change in promotions.
Even as rookies, the talented seven-member multi-national girl group seemed to have it all, from dynamic live stages to catchy songs, a unique style, a dedicated fandom, and lovable members.
After group promotions ceased in 2021, GWSN filed to terminate their contracts with The WAVE MUSIC. The court proceedings revealed shocking accounts of neglect and mistreatment of the members by their company.
It was revealed that the members were evicted from their dorm in February 2022 after their company failed to pay rent. The company also got rid of their dance practice space for the group and neglected members Miya from Japan and SoSo from Taiwan, who were both penalized with fines and criminal records after The WAVE MUSIC failed to maintain their immigration statuses.
GWSN successfully won their case against The WAVE MUSIC in January 2023 after their former company failed to respond to the lawsuit.
Recently, the group’s former creative director Han Jungsu shared more shocking details about what happened during GWSN’s transition from Kiwi Media Group to The WAVE MUSIC and, ultimately, what led to him join Mystic Story in 2020.
GWSN’s former creative director, Han Jungsu, has posted a story about his time at his previous agency, which fans think is referencing GWSN’s agency pic.twitter.com/JJGAklOPjy
— nugu promoter (@nugupromoter) March 11, 2023
Han Jungsu revealed in two lengthy Instagram stories that he found himself at a crossroads three years ago.
I was thinking about what happened when I joined a company as a business head a couple years ago and headed up one of the company’s organization’s, along with being a producer for one of the groups, at the urging of an industry senior who had been close to me for a long time. The senior who brought me in was the first to vanish, and all the executives of the company also disappeared, all of them claiming that it was not their fault.
— Han Jungsu
He shared that as company staff continued to leave The MUSIC WAVE, his name was placed on the company’s register when he wasn’t a registered officer. He stated that out of loyalty for the remaining staff, he stayed at the company for a year without receiving pay and worked to find investors to continue to release their music when he was told he couldn’t release the GWSN members from their contracts.
I stayed at the company for more than a year without being paid and organised according to the court’s instructions to protect the singers and my staffs in the organisation from the people who came out of the corporate rehabilitation court. I was told I couldn’t release the singers’ contracts, and I couldn’t even release their albums, so I had to get investment myself, so I ran around looking for investment.
— Han Jungsu
He continued,
There was a day when I was pushed into a corner with all the debts for business expenses that the new owners of the company hadn’t taken care of, and I couldn’t take it anymore, so I climbed this peak to collect my thoughts, and the next day I met with all my employees, singers and their parents to apologize for not being there for them. There were days when I knew that the new owners were actually trying to get rid of me to make room for someone new, but I just ignored it out of my own sense of justice and responsibility.
— Han Jungsu
Seeming to address the backlash he’s received since his move to Mystic Story, he shared that the members and his former staff members know the truth about his attempts to help GWSN and staff.
At least the artists that I’ve tried to defend, the staff that I’ve sincerely helped, at least they know what’s true and what I’ve done…
— Han Jungsu
He concluded by saying that even though there were hardships and he, the staff, and GWSN faced tough times, he considers the time he spent working with them a cherished memory.
GWSN fans reacted to the update with a mix of sadness, disgust, and anger at The WAVE MUSIC and the gross injustice the members faced.
there’s a special spot reserved in hell for the wave music https://t.co/QYxZf9Xmn8
— joy (@seoryoungpop) March 11, 2023
Man, the idol industry needs some serious government regulation. Horror stories like this and Omega X are just awful. https://t.co/v5CxEVEyYe
— MooMoo Selca Dude (@MooMooSelcaDude) March 11, 2023
This thread is just so– GWSN and their creative teams deserved so much better https://t.co/0VklqdRr8P
— Rachel 🌈🌻 (@qbist) March 11, 2023
With K-Pop’s rise in popularity around the world, there has also been an increase in ill-equipped companies attempting to debut their own groups, taking advantage of the dreams and talents of trainees.
GWSN fans want justice for the group and hope to see the members shining on stage again.
For more on GWSN’s court case, check out the article below:
What Happened To GWSN? Court Case Reveals The Shocking Amount Of Neglect Members Suffered
