I think that not compensating them properly is absolutely a mistreatment. It's a mistreatment when CEOs of big companies make millions and millions of dollars and the workers who do the actual work can't even bring home a living wage, and I don't see why JYJ's situation is any different, especially considering that we know that SM has had other employees complain of the exact same things. It's a pattern that others have corroborated, so I see no reason to disbelieve JYJ.

On top of that, institutions like this are always corrupt and abusive. Across the board. I know of no exceptions. Perhaps JYJ were no more ill-treated than idols at any other company, but Han Geng was. Like Ranya said, he thought his only other option was suicide. Just because JYJ may or may not have escaped that level of mistreatment doesn't mean others weren't/aren't suffering.

And of course all the other companies are terrible too, and I complain a lot about the schedules the idols are forced to endure. But SM has a consistent record of being so bad that its employees pursue legal action to get away--I know of no other company who has that kind of record. And I make sure not to give them any money, because I don't want to contribute to their abuse of their employees.