T-ara’s Jiyeon, SISTAR’s Hyorin, and 2AM’s Jinwoon Argue over Underage Working Hours

T-ara’s Jiyeon and SISTAR’s Hyorin expressed their interest in creating a new law called, “Special Underage Protection Act.” At the press conference for KBS drama “Dream High 2,” the two lead actresses said, “In the drama, you get to see the ‘Special Underage Protection Act.’ We wish it existed in real life too.”

The law that appears in the drama applies to all underage idol singers. It prohibits underage artists from spending more than 30 hours a week on traveling, rehearsals, concerts, and all promotional activities. Also, they are required to attend school, as underage drop outs are not allowed to engage in any celebrity activity. In addition, all work related to celebrity activities (practice and training included) must be completed before 10PM, and they are required to attend class for more than 20 hours a week.

In fact, a similar law is already in place in Japan where minors are only allowed to work limited hours per week. In “Dream High 2,” this new law is the main reason for Hush and Eden’s transfer to Kirin Arts High School.

Jiyeon, currently a high school student, expressed her desire to spend some more time at school. “I did think about spending more time at school with friends, going to classes and having my own personal time as well. Promotional activities are good but I think some rest would be good, too,” the 18-year old artist said.

“Once you start promotional activities, your sleeping hours get really irregular and it’s hard to manage maintain a healthy lifestyle. Because of the busy schedule, we have much less time to practice singing, compared to our trainee days,” SISTAR’s Hyorin added.

2AM’s Jinwoon, however, thought differently. He argued, “If the ‘special law’ does get enacted, we’ll inevitably have less freedom to promote. There are more lessons to be learned than you think from celebrity activities. I also debuted as a minor, but if you really want to, it’s very possible to simultaneously engage in activities while going to school.”

With more and more idol singers facing serious health issues, fans are increasingly voicing concerns over their hectic schedules. Do you think there needs to be a “Special Underage Protection Law” in place? Or is it not necessary to regulate their working hours?