110330 Japanese magazine “Real Live” speculates on the end of SNSD

Lately, with the legal troubles surrounding KARA, the Japanese media have been looking critically at the Korean music industry, which is such a dominant force in Japan (SNSD!). The Japanese magazine “Real Live” recently ran an article entitled,“Was it just KARA? SNSD may also disband.”

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The article said that because the group was too diverse–consisting of college students, high school graduates, and Americans, and seven out of nine are 21 years old–there is a lot of rivalry. “Real Live” talked about rumored controversies over Yoona lifting Tiffany’s skirt and Jessica cursing Seohyun. Then, “Real Live” pulled out the big guns–they talked about DBSK’s disbandment.

Via: en.korea.com

Articles like these make me upset. Everyone knows that the issue with the other two groups mentioned (who I am also a fan of) isn't their relationship with each other, but the relationship with their respective companies. Their argument about diversity is unfounded and is sad in the implication that a diverse environment is unstable. Without diversity, groups wouldn't be interesting.
Going to college is a choice and is less of an issue if you already have a career you would like to pursue the rest of your life. Going to college doesn't mean all doors will open for you like it did in the past. Furthermore not going to college doesn't mean they aren't studying. Training can be like studying for them considering their profession.
Being Korean or being American; why does it matter where you come from? Even if they were born in the US, it doesn't mean they aren't Korean. They were raised in a Korean home with Korean values. If anything, as entertainers they want to branch out into other countries and culture and promote the so called Hallyu Wave. That is the reason they are in Japan. They learned other languages and about other cultures in order to become more diverse and thus more like world citizens.
Also, though many of them are the same age including the leader, I don't believe it is an issue from watching them. Korean culture is probably the most Confucian nation when it comes to respecting your elders even if it's by less than a year. And yes Taeyeon is the leader, but really it's only in terms of title. She doesn't seem to really want to be the leader, and because of their relationships with each other they don't really think they need a leader, but they keep her as the leader for the sake of being the leader. As 21 year-olds being the same age, they are just like friends. For the younger two, it isn't even really an issue.
As for the lifting skirt and cursing issues, SNSD expressed in both cases that the reports were over-exaggerated.