K-Pop Without Visas

Police sent documents to the Tokyo prosecutor last week about a man with a South Korean passport who operates a club with live music in the Okubo district of the capital.

Police have accused the man of violating immigration law by hiring music groups from Korea that don’t have proper working visas. It is the first time Japanese authorities have targeted a promoter in such a case. Usually they focus on the artists themselves.

Korean idol groups are very popular in Japan now, and Okubo is at the center of the craze. The area contains a number of so-called live houses that present Korean acts, most of which perform there without proper papers.

In addition, some of these venues are not licensed to present live music at all. In the past, they have seemingly sidestepped the matter, but in recent months residents of the area have complained, saying the crush of fans in front of certain establishments has made Okubo unsafe.

The police action was brought about by the success of a five-member male vocal group called Great, which recently debuted in Korea, according to the Asahi newspaper.

However, success in the crowded K-pop field is often dependent on success in Japan, and the club in question, called Seichi, brought them over for an extended engagement.

In such cases, these groups come over with tourist visas, perform intensely for several weeks to create a buzz, and then return to Korea before the authorities have time to notice.

However, in this case, the police did notice. Great reportedly performed 66 times in the space of three months, but, as the group is already gone, it is setting its sights on Seichi.

It’s also believed that the owner of Seichi, as well as other venue operators, go to Korea to recruit young men or women who dream of becoming stars, quickly assemble them into idol groups, and then bring them to Japan to perform.

The K-pop boom is so big right now that even without any reputation, these groups can generate fans. And because they’re amateurs, the venues pay them practically nothing.