Behind the glitz and glamour of K-pop, there have been countless cases of idols who have suffered mismanagement, neglect and even outright mistreatment. Though some groups have seen overwhelming success, others have sometimes been given the short end of the stick and left to be forgotten – often by their own agencies. Here are five groups who were arguably destroyed by the companies that managed them. 1. B.A.P K-pop artists filing lawsuits against their agencies actually happens quite often, but B.A.P’s case is one of the most mentioned. The group filed to nullify their contracts in 2014, claiming severe underpayment and harsh working conditions. The group then went on hiatus for over a year and, although TS Entertainment denied the claims, they were soon proved to be true as several other artists filed lawsuits afterwards, eventually leading to the agency’s closure in 2021. Aside from the lawsuit itself, what took a toll on the group was the fact that its hiatus came right at the height of success. Its “First Sensibility” album in early 2014 topped the Billboard World Album Chart and it even took an MTV EMA win for best Korean act in 2014, beating popular artists like BTS and Beast. Though B.A.P returned in 2015, many felt it was a shame that the group was forced to take a break right at its peak, which affected its later success and ultimately lead to its disbandment in 2019. 5 times Blackpink’s Lisa proved she’s Thailand’s unofficial princess 2. f(x) It might be a bit harsh to say SM Entertainment’s girl group was “destroyed”, but fans have felt that way about the matter for a while. Though the group hasn’t officially disbanded, its last release was in 2015 and it has been on hiatus since 2016. amber: "if they won't make f(x) music video, I will" pic.twitter.com/MaUp2MjHRs — ㅈㅅㅈ (@krystclass) April 23, 2021 Fans have been desperate to see the girls back together, and interviews with members revealed that while they all wanted a comeback, circumstances haven’t allowed for one. Over time, members started leaving SM Entertainment, leaving the group’s fate up in the air. Although, in an interview in 2020, member Luna explicitly told fans that the group hadn’t disbanded yet. 3. CLC CLC is another case where the group’s agency seemed to forget about it over time. Formed by Cube Entertainment in 2015, the group saw moderate success during its debut, but its international popularity spiked in 2017 with the song Hobgoblin . However, instead of riding this momentum, the company then gave the girls a song completely different to the hit that so many loved. Eventually, the time between the group’s comebacks grew longer, and it made their last comeback in 2020. One member, Yujin, said in an interview that their company had told them they would no longer continue group activities, leaving the girls’ fates unknown. Though no disbandment has been announced, several members have left Cube to focus on their solo careers. 5 things to know about Park Seo-joon, Marvel’s next Korean star 4. Pristin Debuting in 2017, Pristin consisted mostly of members who had appeared on survival show Produce 101 and two former members of group I. O. I, so its debut was highly anticipated. The group’s debut was a success, but after a few releases within the next year, Pristin went radio silent. Fans were furious at Pledis Entertainment, protesting the group’s lack of activity, feeling that the group had potential but weren’t being promoted properly. After a year of silence, in 2019, Pledis announced the group’s disbandment, as only three of the 10 members had renewed their contracts. 5. Miss A Another example of a group declining because of mismanagement is JYP Entertainment’s Miss A. Though it was popular from its debut in 2010, the company’s financial struggles led only one member, Suzy, to be heavily promoted. As she rose in popularity as both a singer and actor, people started to recognise the group as just “Suzy and the others”. 5 K-drama actresses who married ultra-rich husbands Every song the group released became a hit, but eventually, it went on hiatus in 2015, and as members left the company in consecutive years, the group officially disbanded in 2017. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .