A former K-pop idol wanted a union. Nobody came forward

Bang Min-su, better known as C.A.P. from his days in boy band Teen Top, met Democratic Party of Korea youth policy researcher Seo Min-seon last year, when she approached him with an idea to form Korea’s first labor union for K-pop idols. The 33-year-old former idol had already spoken publicly about labor and human rights issues in the K-pop industry. In September 2024, he testified at a National Assembly forum on the labor rights of child and teenage K-pop artists, raising concerns about unpaid