Daniel Gauss, former New York-based English tutor of the KPOP quintet, the Wonder Girls, told Korean Herald that he quit his job because he was uncomfortable making money off of a pop group that was being mismanaged by their company, JYP Entertainment. Gauss originally got hired in October 2009 when JYPE representatives found his posting for his English tutoring services on a Craigslists ad. On May 11, his claims were confirmed by two JYPE employees in Manhattan.
Gauss said that the Wonder Girls were living illegally in the JYPE offices in Manhattan during their stay in the U.S. The city of New York fined the company $2,500. The group was not covered by health insurance while in the states. He wrote to Korean Herald, "I once saw one girl in extreme pain -- due to a pre-existing problem stemming from a previous operation -- who received no professional medical treatment for the pain and I saw others with minor ailments go untreated." According to Gauss, the members were only allowed to leave the JYPE building with permission.
On another occasion, Gauss revealed that after the Wonder Girls received a Sony Ericsson sponsorship deal, JYPE got Sun-ye to perform in Sanya, China, for Ericsson representatives. Sun-ye was told prior to the performance that her father stopped breathing and was in a coma. Gauss wrote, "I did not have the heart to ask her whether it was her idea or JYPE's idea for her to perform."
No longer with JYP Entertainment, Gauss wrote, "I cannot profit in any manner by revealing this information. I think people have a right to know the truth, especially since the girls are under contract for the next three-plus years and might not be able to speak freely about negative aspects of their experience."
