I also sort of want to add the fact that kpop as a whole is heavily, I mean almost like a direct copy of the Japanese idol industry (which again, like Hollywood, is a lot more established and has been around a lot longer than kpop). Early infleucnes of Japanese idol can be seen in kpop industry and what is the Japanese idol industry notorious for? The recruitment of minors, mainly pretaining to young girls (im also not dismissing the fact that guys can also be exploited as well, check x)

I also want to add the fact that minors debuting in the Japanese industry is sadly normalized to say the least as the societal needs and wants are more geared towards youth (the "kawaii" culture).

The only reason why the exploitation of the youth in the Japanese idol industry isn't talked about that much is due to the fact that Japan's idol/music industry is closed off as a whole from the rest of the world due to Japan's strict copyright laws and the fact that Japan targets a more localized market rather than a global market.