KG leaves VCHA citing ‘abuse and mistreatment’

The American member of JYP Entertainment’s newly formed global girl group VCHA, KG, has announced her departure from the group, citing alleged mistreatment by a member of her staff.

The 17-year-old singer shared the news on her Instagram on Sunday, revealing that she had decided to terminate her contract and leave VCHA after experiencing “incidents of abuse and mistreatment by certain employees.”

VCHA, a joint Korean-American girl group, debuted in January this year as part of the global project A2K, a collaboration between JYP Entertainment and Republic Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. The group consists of six members, all from English-speaking countries: KG, Lexi, Savanna and Kendall from the USA, Camila from Canada and Kaylee, who has both Korean and US citizenship.

“I do not support the working and living conditions that led a member to attempt suicide. I also do not support an environment that promotes eating disorders and has led to members self-harming,” KG said, adding that she made her decision in May and is still waiting to be released from her contract.

KG added, “I don’t blame anyone for the treatment they suffered, but I believe this is a problem that is deeply rooted in the K-pop industry.”

“I will continue to make music in this genre in the future, but not under these circumstances. I hope my vacation can encourage the K-pop system to make changes for the better in hopes of protecting the idols and trainees who remain in the hands of these companies.”

In response to KG’s claims, JYP Entertainment said that they had communicated through agents and that there were disagreements on certain issues, adding that they would handle the situation according to proper procedures.