Star Kotoko of UNIS fainted mid-performance (Picture: MBCPLUS/Imazins via Getty Images)
Fans have rallied around young K-pop star Kotoko after the 16-year-old singer fainted on stage and was rushed to hospital.
While performing with her band UNIS over the weekend, the teen suddenly stopped mid-performance and fell to the floor.
Bandmates looked confused before realising something was wrong and halted the 2024 Midsummer Night’s Cultural Festival: Mini K-POP Concert on August 3.
Fan footage showed the girls gathering around Kotoko before the stage lights cut out at the South Korean show and she was ‘immediately’ taken to hospital.
A statement from the UNIS label, F and F Entertainment, read: ‘After being examined, she is currently resting at the hospital.
‘We apologise for giving fans cause for concern, and we will do our utmost to make our artist’s health our top priority.’
The collapse sparked backlash around the training regimes of K-pop bands, which usually consist of teens and young adults.
Bands like Blackpink, Seventeen, and BTS have had a global breakthrough, but some fans of the genre have said this only increases the pressure for perfection.
Kotoko’s health worries at such a young age meant the already vocal fanbase took to X and other social media to express their concern about K-pop practices.
‘Hello?? Why is nobody talking about this?? Kotoko is only 16 and her company pushed to her exhaustion??’ wrote Roro on X.
The star is only 16 years old (Picture: MBCPLUS/Imazins via Getty Images)
‘Kotoko faints on stage during concert her body is not used to performing yet I hope she’s okay now please take care of her :((,’ added fan @pentagonalways9.
One K-pop stan also claimed the UNIS attended a sporting event days later, with a fan claiming while Kotoko did not participate she was there for around 12 hours.
User @seokmattdan said: ‘Wait wait Kotoko literally recently fainted on stage from exhaustion but despite that they made her come instead of resting? she better do E-sport or F&F We should fight’.
Another video appeared to show Kotoko playing Flip Bottle on the sidelines of a track with her band, days after she fainted.
Addressing concerns, Kotoko released a statement and attempted to reassure fans that she was doing well after speculation online about her health.
She said in a translated post: ‘My physical strength has been restored a lot through rest and stability, so you don’t worry.
‘I’ll work hard to take care of my stamina. Thank you for your concern […] I’m all better.’
The huge machine that is K-pop is notoriously strict, with stars brought in to train at a very young age.
A former K-pop trainee, Euodias, told The Independent that training could stretch to 18 hours per day, although most cite 10 hours as the expected time.
She added: ‘Weight was the constant obsession of everyone there. Everyone was required to be no heavier than 47kg (7st 6lb or 104lb) regardless of their age or height.’
K-pop band Seventeen made history this year with the first-ever Glastonbury performance
(Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
According to the 25-year-old, starving yourself was ‘normalised’ at the training camp and they would frequently pass out from exhaustion.
‘Often we had to help carry unconscious trainees back to the dorms,’ she confessed in the heartbreaking expose.
The impact of these intense training regimes has already raised concern as multiple young stars have died after performing in a K-pop band.
In 2017, Kim Jong-hyun who was a member of SHINee, took his own life at 27 years old after speaking about the intense pressures.
Astro star Moonbin, 25, was found dead by his manager with a statement saying he had ‘unexpectedly left our world and became a star in the sky’.
Two further stars Sulli, 25, and Goo Hara, 28, did the same just two years later, having been members of groups f(x) and Kara, respectively.
BlackPink have global reach but Jisoo’s relationship status was scrutinised (Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella)
The pressures from K-pop fans and labels is mounting on stars (Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp)
Everything from how singers look and dress to who they date is under intense scrutiny — from fans as much as label bosses.
In April, singer Karina split up with actor Lee Jae-wook after a month-long torrent of abuse when they went public with their relationship.
Fans threatened to boycott any music released, questioned her dedication to them and music, and even drove a protest truck to her management’s office.
Even star Jisoo faced similar scrutiny last August, a month after making history at Hyde Park, for her relationship with actor Ahn Bo-hyun.
Bandmate Jennie suffered from a health scare due to a ‘deteriorating condition’ but had ‘expressed a strong determination to carry on’ before leaving the group.
While the pressures mount, there’s no denying being in a K-pop group opens a lot of doors with many breaking through globally now.
Groups like BTS outsold many US and UK stars on their last album release while Seventeen made history with the first-ever K-pop Glastonbury performance this year.
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