Recently, a Korean fan shared photos of her favorite male idol in an online forum with the title "Handsome male idol who is sadly not popular."
The idol is Jinam, whose real name is Kim Ji Woong. He debuted in the group INX. In the post, the fan shared bits of information about the idol, like his birth in 1998 and that he stands at 5'11".
The fan shared how it was unfortunate that he is not famous. She went on to say that she does not understand how such a good looking person can't gain popularity. The post received a lot of attention, with people saying they have never heard of him but that he really is good looking. Some of the comments read:
"Wah, he's really handsome."
"He has an actor's face."
"This is the first time I've seen him but he really is good looking."
"How does a person look like that?"
"He's seriously good looking."
"Where is he now? What does he do?"
INX debuted in 2016 under the company NA Entertainment. During his time in the group, Jinam was the lead vocalist, lead dancer, and rapper. Back in June 2018, a K-Pop group revealed to have filed a lawsuit against their company to nullify their exclusive contract. They said that their agency kept decreasing the size of their staff, so it became difficult for the members to receive support from their agency since they didn't have a manager, means of transportation, and vocal and dance lessons. The agency required the group to pay for their own hair and makeup costs, as well as cosmetic procedures. The company claimed it to be "self-management."
The group was forced to rent out an aerobics classroom to rehearse, and there were times they couldn't even get it because the passwords had been changed. The agency did not provide monetary support for food and household items and even told them that they wouldn't die if they skipped a meal. A staff member who spoke up for them and asked the agency to pay for their meals was removed from the company.
The boys were then shipped off to Japan and Taiwan with a nonexistent Korean fan base. On top of that, they were forced to go out and promote themselves since no staff accompanied them. They were not provided any security, so the boys were often victims of sexual harassment at events.
The members have also suffered verbal abuse by the hands of the companies. They were afraid, hearing words that they will be destroyed in the industry if they disobey. They would insult the members and threaten them, saying that they will be replaced or make them pay a penalty for breaching the contract.
The boys were never paid for any of their activities despite their hard work. They filed a lawsuit on the grounds that the agency had violated their contractual duties. INX won their lawsuit, acknowledging all charges against NA Entertainment. The group has since disbanded.
Follow INX's disbandment, Jinam debuted in the K-pop group ATEEN under DS&A Entertainment. They first debuted in Japan but disbanded before making their debut in South Korea after the members revealed they were sexually harassed by the company's CEO and his wife. He was part of the group B.I.T after, but the group would disband following controversies of them plagiarizing VIXX's "Jekyll."
