Scatter_88mil

Fully agreed - but then again, KKM had 3 years to do that and they haven't done a very impressive job, to say the least. Agreed, with the Japanese tour and second album promotions coming up this summer, I'd have to say polishing on singing is first priority. And yet, the girls are doing some photoshoot and MV filming in Europe, modelling and CFs. It almost sounds like working on the second album is non-existent. Oh and So Yeon is involved in acting this year - Roly Poly 2 musical with Hyomin, Ji Yeon and Eun Jung - and more notoriously, the musical is scheduled to come out this summer too. Apparently when KKM said the girls won't be acting in 2012, they were referring to dramas and movies only. Musicals were not included for some reason (then again, KKS is a nutty clown so I wouldn't expect much logic from him anyway). Honestly, that is some really effed up management.

As much as I sympathize with Eun Jung having lost such a huge sum of money, I can't stop thinking WHY it was all in cash in the first place. Not to mention who on Earth thought it'd be a good idea to give EJ that kind of amount. Why not split it between the 7 members? At least if one of them is robbed, there'd still be money left over to spare. Did anyone even bother researching anything to be careful about in Italy before going into the plane at the airport? They'll really have to be careful from this point since it's possible the thief is likely to grab more money while they're still in Italy. For all we know, it could be a whole gang of pickpockets trailing them - besides, it's hard to imagine any pickpocket is going to ignore a group of famous Asian women with a whole crew of staff for photoshoots and MV filming. For them, it's a lot of money just to steal. As Mongrolian said above, T-ara will also have to be extremely careful not to let KKM (yes, Kim Kwang Media, not CCM anymore) use the whole incident as leverage against them later into the future. For all we know, the guy is basically a human and darker version of Mr. Krabs from the Spongebob Squarepants show. Last but not least, though I'm not one to believe in conspiracy theories, but there's been some talk in AKP that KKS may have deliberately orchestrated the incident himself so he can use it against the girls any time they go up against him. He's already threatened to boot any member that doesn't support his 9-ara decision so it won't be surprising if this theory is true.

It's an online store. I don't know if it has any other divisions per country though it's one of the largest shopping sites in Korea (rivalled also by Auction.com, if I recall correctly). G-Market and Auction however, sell more than just clothes - they pretty much sell a variety of practically every item you want (minus real-life firearms and military-issue equipment, I believe). I do believe that orders can be taken for those living overseas (albeit at the cost of extra money and time) but yea, you'd need to know Korean to do that.

Mate, do you actually believe what they said in front of the cameras? Idols are good at playing politics just as much as the typical government official is. Saying their real honest opinions would of course, get them kicked out by KKS (as he has said in front of the media himself). It ain't that hard to figure.

Mate, it wasn't an imagination - it was a guess, and to some degree, just a little bit of simply speculating. I don't know if SM could pit SuJu against T-ara, though in terms of winning out the battle on who earns more money, SuJu may pull it off if they get something good. Against SNSD, it's a no brainer since SM's largest source of income is SNSD itself.

And yet, all those composers, producers, choreographers, promotion concept artists and wardrobe/makeup stylists are working under the thumb of KKS, or at least contracted/hired to do so. It's not as if ALL of them are on T-ara's side. While they do much of the support/logistics work, ultimately, they're not the ones who represent CCM. I'd imagine some aren't too happy with that numbskull's recent decision and even opposed to it but then again, they obviously don't want to risk getting fired or transferred somewhere else with smaller paychecks. Though if T-ara moves, I don't mind if the staff that supported them would follow behind. Given T-ara's popularity right now, I'd also doubt that if they changed agencies, they'd end up being a completely different group because it'll make the said agencies hardly any different to KKS's decision (and even LOEN Entertainment seems quite displeased with KKS)

Mate, I believe it already has stirred up the netizens to accuse KKS of making a CCM version of SNSD (or more specifically, HIS version of SNSD since the possibility of the company's managers of being opposed to such a move cannot be ruled out). I'd be more worried of how the Sones will react, as well as SM's response in both the short and long run - Sones are likely to cause some major trouble and fanwars soon, if not already, while SM might as well try to get SNSD or SuJu to promote something big at roughly the same time T-ara's second album and Japanese tour begins. One can even argue that KKS has more or less declared war on SM, with T-ara at the frontline, going up against SNSD. If this is true, things are gonna get real ugly.

Hmm, I'm a bit skeptical about this. CCM clearly stated that the girls won't be doing any acting for 2012, and yet they're signed into an agency specializing in acting management? Possibly, it could be to hone So Yeon, Ji Yeon, Eun Jung and Hyomin's acting in preparation for the Roly Poly 2 musical scheduled for June. If that's the case, then the girls' workload has only increased by another load. On the other side of the coin, it would at least give Boram and Qri some decent chance of having to do something to get some spotlight - though with the Japanese tour and second album only a few months away, they'd also have to deal with choreography practicing as well as interviews, CFs and God-knows-what-else-that-can-increase-your-workload crap. Furthermore, is Management Koo a company really that can resist heavy pressure from KKS? Or is it just a subsidiary behind the scenes? Or is it a company that just kisses up to KKS's ass? Only time will tell, I guess.

Which is why I said that they're a group I really wouldn't want to go up against. It's not just the numbers that frighten me - it's their behavior. And of course, it won't just be the Diadems that will be hit - if anything, the T-ara members are the ones who should really be on their guard in case the Sones lash out.

For the international fans, unfortunately no. I can't be sure what the Korean fans would do but I'm highly certain that the more extremist ones (a.k.a sasaeng fans) are probably planning something nasty for him. Death threats in the form of letters, texts or phone calls, vandalizing his car or even just throwing a punch or two. While T-ara's fandom is quite small compared to those of SNSD, Big Bang, 2NE1, DBSK, SuJu etc., it's still at the least tens of thousands, minus the international fans. Given their boost in popularity over the recent months, the number of fans would have increased undoubtedly - that I'm positively sure about. And that's quite a lot of people still - enough for a couple of extreme fans to pop up anyway. To a lesser degree, the sasaeng fans of SNSD (Sones) would also probably do something similar - worst case scenario, they'll have their crosshairs aimed not only at KKS but at the members of T-ara as well (and let's hope that the latter does not happen because the girls are already being mistreated in an atrocious level). And of course, a fan war between Sones and Diadems would erupt inevitably, if not already - and frankly, the Sones aren't really a group I'd want to go up against - whether it be with my own fists or on the keyboard with a screen in front of me. Not saying the whole thing will indefinitely occur, but it cannot be ruled off for sure. Anyone catching up with Kpop news would know how dangerous and scary sasaeng fans can be (and fandoms in general, not to mention antis/haters). While I do not condone their heinous actions, personally I think KKS is an exception.

Guys, why do you even call him a CEO when he's not even fit to be one? We should all come up with a nasty nickname for him and refer him to that name from now on. He doesn't deserve to be called a CEO, at all. In fact, I'd even say he's lost the right to be a CEO, yet alone be in the entertainment industry. It's HIM to who needs to be blacklisted.

Hmm, you have quite a point there. We've yet to see So Yeon complain about her position as the main vocal of the group - plus it's her position and it's not like Eun Jung and Hyomin's singing sound like fingers on a chalkboard (I'll say that they're good for idol singers to say the least). With the exception of Cry Cry and a maybe a few others, I've actually yet to see So Yeon singing 95%+ of the lines in all of T-ara's title tracks.

Become more 'productive'? I'm sorry to burst your bubble but T-ara is one, if not THE most overworked idol group in the K-pop industry and has been like that as early as mid-late 2011. If anything, T-ara is being OVERproductive as a group while CCM itself hasn't bothered to do anything about Boram and Qri in particular. Those two aren't going to be productive if more members are added in - actually, one can argue that adding new members is a long-term tactic of pressuring them to leave. By the way, SNSD became successful not simply because on their looks or talents but because SM had the MONEY to promote them in the most effective and eye-catching ways - not to mention SM already had popular artists like DBSK around. SNSD wasn't exactly successful back in their early days until at least 2009, with the release of Gee - SM also benefited heavily from SuJu's big jump in success with Sorry Sorry not long after Gee. CCM is nowhere near financially advantageous as SM - not to mention CCM has the burden of having to maintain its own broadcasting channel. Even in 2009 when SNSD's popularity skyrocketed off the charts, they released 3 title tracks (Gee, Tell Me Your Wish, Chocolate Love) over a span of 10 months, compared to T-ara's Roly Poly, Roly Poly in Copabanaca, Cry Cry and Lovey Dovey in a span of 7 months during 2011. That's quite a huge gap there - not to mention SNSD even had a short break at some point before June 2009.

I believe it's due to these reasons. a. T-ara itself is simply not prepared or too afraid to go up against KKS b. Their contract doesn't expire until some years after c. KKS has blackmailed/threatened them behind the scenes, somehow. But nonetheless, I believe fans should prepare themselves for something really ugly later this year, at least a few months after the second album is released. The girls aren't stupid, that's one thing and their patience with KKS is probably growing incredibly thin. The powder keg has already been lit - the question is WHEN it will explode over KKS's face. I wouldn't be surprised if T-ara filed a lawsuit against him - and no doubt, CCM would lose. Not even SM was able to hold out against lawsuits filed by its own idols - and SM is the most financially powerful of all talent agencies in Korea. If SM can't win a lawsuit, CCM won't last any better. There's a reason why YG gave Big Bang a 2 month break when the group itself tried to run away from him back in 2008/2009. The last thing any agency needs is dealing with a lawsuit.

Such logic exists only in his world - which is at best, cuckoo land. His excuse of having 30 years experience is no doubt just a shield to justify whatever horsesh!t he says in front of the reporters - he's used it many, many times, even against KARA when they filed a lawsuit against DSP a while back.

To me, it seems more like KKS is pressuring Boram and Qri to leave sooner or later. Obviously he won't make himself look good if he kicks them out so he's taking a more slower and cautious way.

Mate, if anything, Boram, Qri and Hwa Young are the ones that need more lines.

In another couple of years, T-ara very likely would have filed a lawsuit against CCM and moved to another agency or in a worst case scenario, disband completely by then. They've managed to hold out for 3 years but as GD of Big Bang had said - idols at their third year since debut get the tendency to rebel against their agencies. YG even almost lost Big Bang at some point in 2008/2009 due to the group being overworked and compensated by giving a 2-month break rather than tighten everything even further. Given that KKS is obviously a big cuckoo who was born in cuckoo land, I don't think it'd be surprising that T-ara will rebel further against KKS, ultimately leaving CCM for good. The tighter he controls them, the more disillusioned, angered and rebelling T-ara will become.

Excellent post there, mate. I'd also like to add that not only will they get a huge lot of antis and flak from the fans and even the public in general but that what the responses of the current T-ara members will be. Ji Yeon, Hyomin and Eun Jung (and So Yeon to a smaller degree) are the more overworked members and I really doubt they'd be too happy to see the new members just riding along the hard-earned popularity they worked tooth-and-nail constantly for 3 years. Boram and Qri's reactions wouldn't be any better either since they'll have even lesser lines in the future and rather than be kicked out, they'll be pressured by KKS and themselves to leave (and suffice to say, I'd imagine Boram's dad will be very pissed off if that occurs). I can't say much what Hwa Young's reaction will be but nonetheless, I don't think it'll be a surprise if the other six members will have a cold relationship with the new ones, regardless how talented the new ones are. For KKS's definition of not being lazy = I think it's pretty darn obvious. His definition of not being lazy is to work 24/7 as much as possible - literally. The guy's no different to the typical bosses of coal mines and factories in the 19th century. He even makes SM look like saints to a degree. What I'm more curious is how successful his 30 years of experience was because he's giving off the impression to use his decades of exp. as an excuse to say whatever horsesh!t he wants to justify. And to say specifically, it's a pathetic excuse to say the least.

Whoa wait, what? I don't recall So Yeon complaining that her work as the main vocalist is too 'burdening'. If anything, putting in two extra lead/main vocalists will make the line distribution even worse - we all know that Boram, Qri and Hwa Young hardly get anything with Eun Jung closely following behind the three. This will also put down Hyomin's position as lead vocalist and in effect, likely downgrade her to just a sub-vocal. Now I see - in the long run, Boram and Qri are very likely to be forgotten almost completely. Actually, they'll probably be pressured to leave themselves. KKS, you make me sick. Rather than kicking them out yourself, you're just pressuring them slowly to leave. You sir, are subhuman and deserve to have a squad of Schutzstaffel soldiers and doctors torture and experiment on you to death

Lazy? Very ironic considering KKS probably gets 7-8 hours of sleep a day, socializes/networks with other CEOS or people high up the ladder, has a few meetings, sends and replies a few dozen emails here and there and calls it work while T-ara had been overworked for the past 3 years with no vacation until the half-assed-attempted one they got not too long ago. This guy even makes my boss look like a saint. Regarding T-ara's controversies about greeting problems and stage attitude issues - well guess what, it's all in the past now and if I'm correct, they already cleared out any misunderstandings. Bit too late to 'apologize' now. But now that there's 2 newbies coming in, it's history repeated all over again. Intense competition? Well, I can't say - except adding in two new members will only make the distribution of lines even smaller than it already is, not to mention the share of profit will be smaller while KKS takes a huge gunk for himself. I wouldn't be surprised if a significant portion of CCM's management actually disagree with KKS's lunacy. If he was really sorry towards the fans, he should have resigned

I believe a number of T-ara's saesang fans in Korea probably are planning something brutal and nasty for KKS, even as we speak. These are the type of fans that are extreme fanatics who will go to any length to see their idols, even protect them to a degree. I wouldn't be surprised if KKS found his own car ruined by grafitti, smashed windows, massive scratches and flat tires. If they go more bolder, they'll probably even give him prank calls, death threats letters and vandalize his home or office etc. The list is endless.

Given T-ara's killer schedules, I don't think tutoring them on other languages will be a really feasible option, unless KKS forces it down on CCM's management staff to ensure it happens (of course, logic and reasoning don't exist in KKS's subhuman brain, if he even has one). Learning a foreign language isn't something that can be taken lightly and it takes years of studying to become fluent in it. Even to become partially fluent, it takes months to do so. And of course, just piles up the girls' workload even more.

SuJu ultimately developed into sub groups for the most part and as far as it goes, if SM treated Hangeng like sh!t - not to mention that breaking into China isn't exactly what I'd call a very easy move. Ultimately, SM's main sources of income is Korea, Japan and the rest of SEA. I don't think China is particularly high up in their list, honestly. I don't see T-ara splitting into smaller groups like SuJu does, unless the number of members is expanded even more in the future. CCM also has far less of a chance to break into China. SM obviously is far more business-savvy than CCM is, as well as having a far more financial advantage but even they're not THAT impressive in breaking to the Chinese market. And of course, SM doesn't have a cuckoohead like KKS in charge.

I think CCM should copy SM on how to spend its money more wisely as well. Making three MVs of the same song is a huge waste of money, as well as time and effort to a degree. SM is one of the most business-savvy agencies in K-pop - like you said, they know how to promote their idols (or mostly anyway). CCM will never get to SM's level of promoting and giving its idols the spotlight, especially with a cuckoo head like KKS. Hell, I won't even consider him a Korean - more like someone who lived much of his life in cuckoo land.