ON Oct 23, fans of K-pop group OMEGA X were stunned by allegations that the 11-member group were seen being verbally and physically abused by the CEO of their agency SPIRE Entertainment, a woman surnamed Kang, while they were in Los Angeles for their world tour.
SBS News released some secretly recorded videos showing how Kang berated and shoved several members of the group in public, including at their Los Angeles hotel, causing group leader Jaehan to break down at one point.
After the initial allegations surfaced online on Oct 23, CEO Kang canceled OMEGA X’s scheduled flights back to Korea, stranding the group members and one of their managers in the city. OMEGA X members were forced to beg their families for money to purchase their own flight tickets, and eventually made it back to Seoul on Oct 25.
Since then, further claims of ‘power harassment’ have emerged against Kang – who is said to be the wife of the agency founder. Reportedly, Kang as refused to acknowledge her behaviour and instead urged an investigation against the person who recorded the “hurtful” videos, saying that their agency in fact treats their idols well.
Meanwhile, SPIRE Entertainment released a statement apologising to fans for “causing concern”, and explained that the incident was in fact just a misunderstanding between the CEO and the group members.
Hopefully, the truth will be revealed soon, and OMEGA X members can bounce back from this challenge.