Kpop’s 7 Year Curse Explained

If you’re new to kpop, you might have come across the term “7 year curse”, but what does it really mean, and what does it entail? The 7 year curse is when a group is in between contracts. This is because rookies typically sign an initial contract for 7 years (sometimes 5 or 6). This is because 7 years is the max amount of time that a contract can be, after TVXQ sued SM for “slave contracts” in 2009. So basically, after this initial contract ends, if a group is going to disband, this is when it would happen. However, a full disbandment is not always what happens. Here are a few things that can happen during this time.

1. If a group is happy with their company, they can all renew their contracts. These contracts are typically shorter (2-3 years), and since the group now has the ability to negotiate, this is also typically the time when idols are given more freedoms such as being allowed to live on their own, or date. 

2. Some of the members renew their exclusive contracts, while other members only keep group contracts. This means that all of the members are still part of the group, and will still function under their parent company, but everything else including solo comebacks, solo concerts, acting projects, etc. will be managed by a separate company. When this happens, there is usually a decrease in full group activities, but an increase in solo activities, and sub unit activity. Sub unit(s) are typically formed with the remaining members of the company.

3.  All (or some) of the members decide to leave and sign onto another company as a group. This sometimes results in a re-brand or name change due to legal reasons. For example, Beast left Cube Entertainment in 2016, and signed onto Around Us Entertainment in 2017 under the name “Highlight”.

4. If all of the members decide to leave, this results in a full disbandment. Sometimes this means that all (or some) of the members will sign onto separate companies and continue their solo careers, or sometimes it means that all (or some) of the members will retire (maybe fully, or maybe just as idols, and continue their careers as entertainers, actors, etc.).