K-pop group suffers tragic car accident

Posted on : 2014-09-04 11:54 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Crash highlights conditions where groups are overworked and rushing to engagements all over the country
Ladies’ Code member EunB
Ladies’ Code member EunB

By Jin Myeong-seon, staff reporter

An up-and-coming girl group suffered tragedy on Sept. 3 when a traffic accident left one member dead and two critically injured.

The early morning accident occurred on a rainy highway as the group Ladies’ Code was traveling to Seoul after finishing a local performance. News of the tight schedule for the group, which was just beginning to build their fame a year after debuting, has triggered an outpouring of sympathy.

 who died in the group’s car accident.
who died in the group’s car accident.

The stretch van carrying the members of Ladies’ Code collided with a guardrail at 1:23 am on Sept. 3 near the Singal junction on the Yeongdong Expressway. One member, 22-year-old EunB (Go Eun-bi), was killed, while fellow members Kwon RiSe, 23, and Lee Sojung, 21, were seriously wounded. The other two members suffered minor injuries, as did a manager and a stylist.

The group was traveling to Seoul after appearing on a music program the previous day for a television network in Daegu. Police believe the wreck may have been caused when the car skidded on the rainy road.

Every year, another 50 to 60 girl groups join the crowded music market. They end up competing with existing groups, making the struggle even fiercer. Emerging groups generally feel they can’t afford to say no to even the smallest local performing opportunities.

“If you’re an ‘adult singer’ or a boy group, you can appear at nightclubs or bars, but girl groups have to maintain a ‘girlish’ image, so they have to be careful about what events they choose,” explained an entertainment producer for one network, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“If it’s a university festival in the provinces or a minor network event, you come when called,” the producer added.

Because of the groups’ countrywide travel schedules, speeding is commonplace - and traffic accidents distressingly frequent. In May, a car carrying Subin, a member of the girl group Dal Shabet, rolled over while she was traveling to Ulsan after finishing a television taping in Busan. Last year, a vehicle for the girl group Nine Muses was unable to stop at the scene of an accident and ended up colliding with a truck while heading to a local performance.

“Producers don’t care where the groups happen to be at any given moment,” said one network source on condition of anonymity. “If they say, ‘You need to be in Seoul from Busan [a distance of 325 km] in two and a half hours,’ you have to be there. In some cases, they’ve even used private ambulances to make it on time.”

If anything, things are worse for the groups affiliated with smaller agencies.

“The small agencies have one manager who goes with the group when they travel,” said one manager. “The singers need to get what sleep they can on the road after performances, so the managers, who have no time for breaks during the shows, also end up having to drive when they’re over.

“That’s why you see so many cases where they fall asleep at the wheel.”

The van used by Ladies’ Code after the Sept. 3 crash.
The van used by Ladies’ Code after the Sept. 3 crash.

 

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