[K-Entertainment Shock] Former Child Stars Reveal Dark Filming Sets: 'Beaten Until We Bled Sometimes'

Former South Korean child stars Heo Jung-min, Kang Rae-yeon, and Seo Jae-kyung recently appeared on a show together, candidly discussing the hardships they endured while working as child actors. They revealed that back then, not only was there a lack of protective measures, but also a strict hierarchy, all-night filming, and even instances where they were "beaten until they sometimes bled for making mistakes," offering the public a glimpse into the untold side of past film sets.

Former Child Stars Reunite to Recall: 'No Protective Measures Like Today'

The YouTube channel B-Level Studio released a video on July 10th titled, "I definitely saw this a long time ago... Inviting popular child stars from the previous generation! | EP.31 Heo Jung-min, Kang Rae-yeon, Seo Jae-kyung." In the program, Kang Rae-yeon mentioned, "Back then, we weren't treated like child stars today, nor did we have any sense of accomplishment from our work, or protective measures specifically for child stars."

She continued, stating that while child stars today earn substantial incomes, they had a "child star ranking system" when they were young, with pay determined by rank. "Even if you were popular, as a child star, your income was still relatively low." Heo Jung-min added, "The ranks went from 1 to 5. The most successful were rank 5, and the least popular were rank 1."

Kang Rae-yeon revealed that the highest pay per episode for acting back then was 250,000 Korean Won, which is about 167 US dollars, or roughly 5,400 New Taiwan Dollars.

All-Night Filming Was Routine: 'Shoot Night Scenes at Sunset, Then Day Scenes at Sunrise'

Beyond income issues, Kang Rae-yeon also recalled that child stars often had to pull all-nighters for filming. She said, "Back then, if we filmed until sunset, we'd shoot night scenes, and then after sunrise, we'd shoot day scenes again. Dissolve (transition) happened every day." Heo Jung-min lamented, "Our parents suffered a lot too."

Mistakes Weren't Just a Gentle Tap; Seo Jae-kyung Reveals: 'We Were Beaten Badly, Sometimes Until We Bled'

Seo Jae-kyung described it as a rather corrupt era. He said, "When we made mistakes, we weren't just gently tapped – we were beaten badly, sometimes until we bled." Kang Rae-yeon also expressed with bitterness, "The problem was, when we were beaten, as child stars, we'd get provoked and tough it out. If we couldn't cry for a crying scene, they would hit us to make us cry. That's unimaginable today."

Seo Jae-kyung further explained that it was usually the director who would resort to physical punishment, but he also emphasized that this was, of course, a minority, and most people were good; however, the overall atmosphere at the time could still be influenced by one or two individuals.

Receiving Private Payments and Gifts; Heo Jung-min Also Exposes 'Upgrade' Bribes

Discussing the environment back then, Seo Jae-kyung also revealed, "The people in charge at the time received a lot of private payments." He added that looking back now, they accepted money through alcohol, food, and gifts, "but all I'm left with now are debts." Heo Jung-min also disclosed that some people would take significant bribes from child stars' mothers, promising to raise the child star's rank.

This conversation, made public through the show, once again shed light on the heavy issues surrounding pay, working hours, protection systems, and power structures on set in the former working environment of child stars.