K-pop News: #WeStandWithTheRose

By Yuli Atta

Hey guys, today I'm going to share what has currently been going on with one of my favourite K-bands, The Rose. Initially, I wanted to share multiple stories but this one became too long so this is it. The way I'm doing this is by first showing you the unbiased story and then sharing my opinion on it.

 The Rose files for termination of their contract with J&Star Company 

The K-pop band The Rose has filed for a termination of their contract with the company J & Star Company after not being paid for 3 years. 

On February 28th, 2020, the 4 members surprised their fans by posting the same statement on their Instagram accounts saying that they were sueing their company. Allegedly, their company hasn't paid them since their debut. The full statement goes as follows:

SOURCE

The company released a statement, disregarding their claims.

This was followed by their next statement on the 3rd of March, 2020 when all 4 members shared the following statement that was translated by Soompi:

On March 4th J&Star Company released a statement disregarding every claim made by The Rose.

SOURCE

There have been no further updates on the ongoing case as of right now, 16. 03. 2020.

Opinion time: 

I discovered The Rose in late 2019 and immediately became a fan even though their music is my usual cup of tea. Woosung's (the main vocalist) voice is one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard and the combination of his and Dojoon's in songs kills it every time.

The reason I'm more inclined to believe the band's side of the story isn't only because I am a fan but because there have been other cases of K-pop idols not getting paid and I believe most people know about the slave contracts as well. What's more, I don't like the way they've written their statement. Now, since this is a translated version it could be the translation's fault, however, the wording of it doesn't sound neutral or polite like The Rose's. In fact, it sounds like the company is trying to paint them in a bad light and make them sound as bad as possible. 

In my opinion, however, fans of the band would already be on their side because they've been supporting them for years.

I hope there are more updates soon and I, like everybody else, hope that The Rose manage to terminate the contract and part ways with the company. Hopefully, they will find a better company afterwards. I only hope that they wouldn't need to rebrand.