Have you ever heard of acts of violence that occur in the entertainment industry in South Korea? Maybe, at first, the action seems secret, and it is finally revealed to the media because of irresponsible management. However, unfortunately, abuse and violence must be accepted by a band in South Korea whose members were children who can be considered as teenagers. The East Light fell victim to abuse and violence behind their successful career journey. Why did it happen to them? Let’s get to know The East Light more and the chronology of the cases they faced in this article!
The East Light’s Group Profile
Before debuting, Eun-sung, Woo-jin, and Sa-gang were contestants on Mnet Voice Kids Korea. Eun-sung also made a cameo appearance on Monstar as young Kyu-dong. Seokcheol appeared in the movie titled My Boy (2014) alongside Cha In-pyo and Lee Tae-ran. Sa-gang was also a contestant on Mnet Superstar K3. Sa-gang also appeared on a game show that was aired on EBS, 놀자고, as an MC with Ji Min-hyuk and Min Garin, a former K-Pop Star 6: The Last Chance contestant and member of the girl group ELRIS, Hyeju, and Jeong Seong-yeong. Eun-sung and Sa-gang also appeared on I Can See Your Voice (season 4, episode 10) as contestants and became the winners in this episode. They got the chance to duet with HIGHLIGHT and also released a digital single with the title “Café Latte” (cover of Urban Zakapa). Jun-wook appeared on SBS Star King as the “eldest son of a thirteen-year-old guitar.” In 2017, Woo-jin entered Produce 101 Season 2 as a contestant and finished in 34th place. Debuting as a band amid competition from K-pop boy groups and girl groups was a challenge for The East Light, just like some other, more senior bands such as Day6, FT. Island, CNBLUE, The Rose, and many more. This band also proved a good existence and kept a career in the entertainment industry. With members who were still young, The East Light was expected to get a positive response from the public and be able to compete with other bands with their talents. Debuting on November 3, 2016, The East Light greeted fans with “Holla.” If seen from the picture below, many people will remember one of the legendary bands, The Beatles. Perhaps with the concept given for their debut with “Holla,” The East Light hoped that their debut concept would bring popularity and would also be remembered in the history of music in South Korea. After successfully making their debut with “Holla,” still in the same year, in April 2017, The East Light released the music video for “I Am What I Am” as their next single. In this music video, the members are seen walking around the side of the road and singing the lyrics of the song with great passion. The members also look very charismatic in acting as the models in this music video and don’t look awkward at all. The music video also invites fans to enjoy the view in the middle of Seoul.
On May 22, 2017, The East Light released their newest music video for their comeback. In the music video for “You’re My Love,” the music sounds very playful because there are elements of electronic pop and synth that can be heard complimenting the song from start to finish. The song, which has a medium tempo, also sounds very cheerful and is like a summer-themed song. The members also look very cheerful in this video by occasionally dancing to accompany the song. Even though the concept of the music video is very simple, the impression of this song still shows a cheerful and easy listening.
Still in mid-2017, The East Light released a song that was very cheerful and very suitable for teenagers to listen to. The music video for their next single, “I Got You,” also looks very eye catching because it is so colorful. Apart from that, the vocalists are also very cheerful and danced with several female backup dancers in an auditorium. The song and music video is very comfortable to watch and can even make fans amazed by the latest concept advancements provided by The East Light, right?
On January 29, 2018, a new song was released with the title “Real Man.” Looking different from the concept previously given, The East Light probably experienced the peak of their career when promoting this song. Like the title itself, “Real Man” has a more mature concept than before and also has electric guitar strains that dominate the melody. All the members wore suits and ties, and the concept of the music video looks darker and uses both indoor and outdoor locations to give a different impression from the previous concept.
On April 25, 2018, The East Light released a new song in the middle of the year titled “Are You Okay.” In this song, fans can enjoy a song with a slower tempo than before. With the rap part given at the beginning of the song and the accompanying sound of the guitar, The East Light gives a new impression and also pulls off the mellow concept well through “Are You Okay.” Besides that, the shooting location for this music video also looks more colorful but seems a bit gloomy because it was filmed during the day. The members also look cool with the casual outfits they wear.
On May 4, 2018, only one month after their latest music video “Are You Okay,” The East Light released a music video with a new single titled “Love Flutters.” Just like the title, the music video looks really good and seems to describe the state of a person falling in love during the summer. The entire music video and the song are very suitable, and the two themes from the visualization and the music genre are very well combined. Fans can also see the members dance with each other very happily while performing this song in the music video.
Unfortunately, it was unexpected that the career journey that The East Light had to face had to stop until they released “Love Flutters” as their latest comeback in middle 2018. Nobody would have thought that The East Light actually experienced dark times when their music process was there. There was verbal and physical violence by producers and their agency. As time went on, cases of violence experienced by The East Light caught the attention of the public including their fans who continued to support them until the members could get justice for the violence they experienced. Of course, many parties supported The East Light so that the producers and agency they worked for could immediately get sanctions and punishments that were appropriate. On October 22, 2018, Media Line Entertainment terminated the remaining members’ exclusive contracts after two of their members, Seok-cheol and Seung-hyun, decided to leave the group.
