For decades, East Asian idol performers have operated under highly regulated conditions, yet their activities were rarely framed as labor. Instead, narratives of passion and exceptional success excluded them from conventional labor rights discussions. This paper examines the cultural and institutional conditions that have recently enabled idol performers to be recognized as laboring subjects in South Korea and Japan.

Shifting focus from whether idols qualify as workers to how they are named and recognized, this study argues that emerging labor-centered discourse reflects a reconfiguration of creative labor rather than a transformation of working conditions. Through a comparative analysis, the paper traces how the language of labor circulates through legal disputes, policy debates, and collective organizing. In South Korea, labor law reform and unionization challenge "independent contractor" classifications. In Japan, recent court rulings recognize idols as workers, unsettling the traditional jimushō system without dismantling its structural foundations.

The paper concludes that idol labor occupies an ambiguous position: performers are increasingly described as workers but remain excluded from comprehensive protections. This ambiguity exposes the limitations of existing labor frameworks when applied to affective, image-based creative work. Ultimately, this study contributes to cultural studies debates on precarity and the contested boundaries of work in the creative industries.

Authors:
Chairin An, Sookmyung Women's University, South Korea

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Chairin An is an Assistant Professor at Sookmyung Women’s University. Her research interests include creative and cultural labor, popular music industries, and cultural policy. Her current project examines the cultural conditions under which idol

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https://kr.linkedin.com/in/chai-rin-an-7b96072b

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