[Sportschosun Reporter Cho Yoon-sun] Actor Heo Jeong-min said he went through a difficult period during his time as a member of the band Moon Child, even without receiving any settlement.
On the 10th, a video titled "I definitely saw them back then... We invited child actors who were popular across generations! | EP.31 Heo Jeong-min, Kang Rae-yeon, Seo Jae-kyung" was uploaded to the YouTube channel B-grade Studio.
Heo Jeong-min, now in his 31st year since debut, looked back on the time when he briefly paused his acting career and promoted as a member of Moon Child.
He confessed, "I had originally signed with the agency as an actor, but I was deceived. They said, 'There's a band the company is preparing, so let's do it for just two years.'" He added, "I had already signed the contract and received a 3 million won signing bonus, so I was immediately taken to the dorm and started living there."
Heo Jeong-min, who lived with the other members in a 9-pyeong dorm in Mapo, said, "Our supplies were a box of tangerines, dried squid, and a box of instant noodles. We survived on that." He continued, "There was a housekeeper who helped us, but if she left one meal prepared, four men would finish it in a day. That was the kind of life we lived. I really did not want to do it."
Even after Moon Child became popular, he said he did not want to keep going, adding, "When the agency said, 'We spent so much money on you guys, and we're still in the red,' then you don't get paid, whether that's true or not."
He went on to say, "The settlement was never made, and it was exhausting. I was dragged out of the van, sent on stage, fell asleep, and then dragged back up again. I was 18 at the time, so I didn't know anything, and I couldn't even tell my parents. I kept thinking, 'They'll pay us someday,' but it just ended like that."
Speaking about his earnings at the time, he said, "I barely received anything. If they gave us pocket money, we lived on that." His remarks drew sympathy.
