The Insanity that is K-Pop Scandals

in #culture6 years ago


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He or She did What?


This topic can be spread across many different categories and are slightly interpreted differently depending on the situation, but there is a common theme throughout all of them. Just because someone has either committed a crime in the past, or showed signs of controversial behavior, should they be stopped from promoting or denied opportunities from singing? It is generally understood that most people have made mistakes in their life, but Korean netizens have taken things very far, and will condemn kpop idols and celebrities over the most minuscule things.


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Dating in the KPop Industry


This is a big one, and to this day I still do not understand why it's such a big deal. People getting into relationships or dating isn't anything legal or looked down upon, but once you're an idol or an actor, people are up in arms over the tiniest skinship or rumors. There have been instances where k-netizens have mroe or less obsessed over the personal lives of their idols, and I think it's just insane.

This particular case is between two well known idols, Seolhyun and Zico. This was an event from the past, but here were some of the top comments from the main article:

seolhyun.JPG
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The main problem I see here is that there are just compilations of photos where she is photographed running to and from his apartment.



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There is just an unhealthy obsession over whoever these idols are dating, and the judgment that follows. Believe me, this is just one of many hundreds of different cases where k-netizens are up in arms over the tiniest assumptions. I feel the problem here is that most fans' fantasy is broken when their favorite idol or superstar is going out with someone, and they feel this rage that these idols should never go out with anyone so that the fans can have an unrequited love for them forever.


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There are even petitions to exile an idol member from their group, because he got married in secret before a longtime comeback. Super Junior's Sungmin got married to musical actress Kim Sa Eun. Fans have felt essentially betrayed that he got married in secret during Super Junior's hiatus. This led to resentment towards the member for coming back to release another song with the group.

I do not believe that being in a relationship with someone as an idol should even considered a scandal. A scandal is defined as an action or event that regarded as morally or legally wrong and causing general public outrage. First of all, someone dating someone isn't and shouldn't be considered morally wrong. Second, there is something incredibly wrong if something like this causes a general public outrage.

Korea's Corporate Infrastructure


Why is this a case for the most part in South Korea, but less so in other countries like the United States? The answer lies in the difference in their infrastructure. The big entertainment companies in South Korea such as SM, YG, or JYP use idols like products. The idols desire popularity which in turn bring increased revenue back into the company. That's also where the problem with scandals comes in. The products are at the hands of the public, therefore they are unable to do whatever is against the wishes of the netizens. If dating upsets them, then the company will strongly deny the allegations, or even throw the product away, as the popularity would be draining down. In the United States, the music companies are more independent, and have less care about popularity of the person, as the song will do most of the talking.

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