The question of live singing vs. lip-syncing comes up a lot in the K-Pop industry and is also a controversial one.

On an online community forum, Netizens recently talked about how IVE's Jang Won Young and Leeseo did a special cover of IU's "Strawberry Moon" on "2022 MBC Gayo Daejejeon."

People said they were "lip-syncing" instead of dancing, and they were using the same audio recording from their previous cover of the song, which was posted on their YouTube channel.

On January 4, a post began trending on Nate‘s community board Pann under the title, “LE SSERAFIM ALSO LIPSYNCED WHILE SITTING DOWN“. The post pretty much talk about how come no one is complaining over LE SSERAFIM members for also lip-syncing while sitting on stage.

The netizen who wrote the post explained, "Jang Wonyoung was cursed at a lot when she lipsynced while sitting down, but LE SSERAFIM did the same thing? Even foreigners didn't have much trouble with it at the time, and no one would go look for everyone's clips except 'them'. They only do this to IVE. Isn't that way too harsh?".

The netizen added, "Kim Chaewon is known for having a good voice, but they can still sit and lip sync depending on the situation. Have you ever seen communities with thousands of comments trash LE SSERAFIM like they did to Jang Wonyoung?".

Other netizens quickly responded with post, such as:

"If it wasn't Jang Wonyoung, they wouldn't care, but since it is, it drives them crazy".

"No matter how good their skills are, they can't stop swearing at her because Jang Wonyoung is the one sitting down and lip-syncing. Is this proof that they aren't as well-known as they should be? ㅠ.."

"Those roaches are teaching you what it means to be hypocritical."

"Can you Pann btches stop hating on female idols? When male idols mess up a choreography, you guys say it's cute and even make gifs of them with filters, but when it's a female idol, you guys make a big deal out of it. (I'm not saying this to be mean to male idols; I'm just making fun of the double standard). Stop it already, whether it's LE SSERAFIM or Jang Wonyoung. Can't you all just get on with your own lives? You guys get upset when people tell you that "a woman's biggest enemy is another woman," but you'll never get over the idea that women hate each other until you die. You guys work the hardest to dislike other women. Pann btches"

What are your thoughts?

Source[1]

After Kim Ji Won’s unexpected departure from Salt Entertainment, it now seems that Kim Seon Ho will also be leaving the agency.

Both stars are reportedly headed to High Zium Studio, the agency run by Song Joong Ki, and this news is stirring up plenty of buzz. What’s behind this wave of talent moving away from Salt?

Kim Ji Won, who signed with Salt Entertainment in 2020, made headlines in June 2022 when she suddenly announced her departure after finishing the drama My Liberation Notes. While the official statement wished her the best, many insiders speculated about the reasons behind the split.

Some rumors suggested that Kim Ji Won was unhappy with her role in the drama, especially for being overshadowed by her co-star, Son Seok Koo. Others believed that Salt made mistakes by trusting writer Park Hae Young too much when signing the project.

Now, just two years after Kim Ji Won’s departure, Kim Seon Ho is reportedly set to follow in her footsteps and leave Salt Entertainment for High Zium Studio. Although High Zium has denied confirming any contract details, insiders believe it’s almost certain that the actor will make the move.

For Salt, this is a huge blow, especially since Kim Seon Ho has become a popular star in Southeast Asia, which helped the agency rake in significant revenue.

An entertainment insider shared, "Salt worked hard to build connections in Southeast Asia for Kim Seon Ho, thanks to Park Shin Hye’s network. It was a successful partnership, but now it looks like they’re parting ways."

Salt’s connections in countries like Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia were largely due to Park Shin Hye’s previous fan meetings and events there. These efforts helped Kim Seon Ho rise to stardom in Southeast Asia, but Salt couldn’t secure a contract extension.

Salt also managed to protect Kim Seon Ho’s reputation during his 2021 scandal with weathercaster Choi Young Ah.

After Choi Young Ah’s false claims about pregnancy and abortion, public opinion shifted in Kim Seon Ho’s favor. The agency’s handling of the situation earned them praise, but despite their efforts, they couldn’t keep their rising star.

A manager with years of experience in the industry shared, "The loyalty of extending contracts for 1-2 years after a 7-year contract ends is disappearing. Agencies are under pressure due to the economic downturn, and more companies are being listed, making it harder to maintain these long-term relationships."

With Kim Seon Ho and Kim Ji Won leaving, many are wondering if Salt can bounce back from this blow or if High Zium Studio will continue to attract more talent from under their noses.

Source: [1]