To err is human. Even our favourite idols are not exempt from this, and sometimes, they falter and make bad decisions. But what’s most important is that we learn from these mistakes and emerge as better people. Here are 23 K-entertainment scandals involving some of the biggest names in the industry and what we can learn from these mistakes.
Table of Contents
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Formerly the maknae of BIGBANG, aka the kings of K-pop, Seungri’s reputation took a steep nosedive when his involvement in the Burning Sun scandal – arguably one of the biggest scandals in Korean entertainment – was uncovered.
Burning Sun was a high-end club in Gangnam, and it was found to have played host to various criminal activities committed by its VIP patrons with the support of the club’s staff.
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Burning Sun had allegedly provided drugs for VIP guests who wished to sexually assault female club-goers. Staff would identify attractive female patrons and spike their drinks, before bringing them to these VIP guests.
Investigations later revealed that Seungri acted as the director and held majority shares of Burning Sun.
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Further investigation found that Seungri had committed numerous illegal activities involving his personal business ventures, such as hiring prostitutes for potential foreign investors. It was reported that in 2015, he paid for 17 prostitutes to entertain Japanese businessmen, using a YG credit card no less.
Prostitution is illegal in South Korea.
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Burning Sun’s crimes were revealed through the efforts of club-goer Kim Sang Kyo, who was beaten up and then later arrested when he tried to intervene with Burning Sun’s criminal activities.
Sang Kyo’s public allegations and petition mounted enough pressure to start an investigation into the club.
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Seungri’s involvement was publicised when a Burning Sun staff member released message logs of the former idol soliciting prostitutes for foreign guests and sending derogatory statements that accompanied photos of naked and unconscious women.
Seungri immediately resigned from his position as director of Burning Sun and from the entertainment industry thereafter.
This horrible incident reminds us of the importance of standing up for what is right – if it weren’t for the brave actions of Kim Sang Gyo, Burning Sun might still be operating today, and who knows how many more innocent people would have had to suffer.
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As investigations into Burning Sun grew deeper, another insidious issue came to light – Jung Joon Young and many other male idols’ involvement in sexual crimes targeting countless victims
These idols were part of a Kakao chat room started by Jung, where illicit photos and videos of women were shared. This chat group allegedly included Choi Jong Hoon from FT Island, Lee Jong Hyun from CNBLUE, and Seungri, thus linking the Burning Sun investigation to the group chat.
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Members exchanged spycam footages, sex tapes, and naked photos involving unconscious women – all taken without prior consent. Jung was responsible for sending most of the media – over 200,000 text messages, clips, and images – including vivid descriptions of his sex crimes and various escapades with women.
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In an incident in 2016, Jung and other members of the chat room sexually assaulted an unconscious woman. All who were involved were later sentenced to prison, while those whose involvements were suspected but not confirmed chose to retire from entertainment entirely.
This scandal is a scathing reminder to not to judge a book by its cover – everyone is capable of truly horrific things, even your favourite idols.
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Once part of the legendary group TVXQ and later, JYJ, Park Yoo Chun had a stellar career. Even his own solo songs were met with much praise and acclaim. But that was until his image slowly unravelled in a series of accusations relating to drugs and sexual misconduct.
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His fall started in June 2016, when he faced accusations of sexual assault from 4 different women. This accusation shattered his public image, with many of his fans denouncing their support for him.
In the end, he was deemed not guilty of any allegation due to a lack of evidence.
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In August 2021, former reporter Kim Yong Ho revealed that Park had allegedly messaged a fan and requested for a threesome. Park had denied doing so in a statement.
Image adapted from: Namu Wiki
During the Burning Sun scandal, Park’s ex-fiancee Hwang Hana was investigated for potential drug charges. This led prosecutors to Park when she implied that an ex-lover of hers had coerced her to do drugs.
Despite him claiming innocence in a press conference, Park tested positive for methamphetamine in 2019 and was arrested. He reportedly waxed his body hair and bleached the hair on his head in an alleged attempt to remove biological traces of the drugs.
Park’s troubled history being brought to light is a stark reminder that bad behaviour cannot hide behind fame. Even idols are not beyond consequences.
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In Korea and many parts of Asia, it’s rude to reject someone’s offering. But this could lead to some horrible consequences, as G-Dragon (GD) of BIGBANG would soon come to find out.
In 2011, GD was at a party in Japan when a fellow partygoer offered him a cigarette. As a smoker, GD accepted the cigarette without a second thought. But after realising it tasted weird, GD threw it away immediately and voluntarily took a drug test.
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While the urine test had returned negative, the weak positive he had received from the hair test sent the media into a frenzy. In particular, his anti-fans took this chance to attack GD online, and other fans denounced their support for him.
Fortunately, no drug charges were raised and he faced no legal repercussions. GD has not had any drug-related scandals since, and we hope that he is now more careful about the things he takes from strangers.
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The learning point here is to not be too hasty to project hate, especially towards unintentional mistakes. Also, it’s probably not a good idea to accept cigarettes from strangers. Or better yet, don’t smoke.
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While GD’s mistake was unintentional, T.O.P’s marijuana consumption was unfortunately not. In 2017, ex-YG trainee Han Seo Hee claimed that T.O.P had smoked weed with her. This prompted further investigations.
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T.O.P’s drug test came back positive, after which he pled guilty to the charges and admitted to having smoked marijuana on 3 occasions with Han Seo Hee.
As he was serving in the military as a policeman at the time, T.O.P. was stripped of his role and was sentenced to 2 years in jail.
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He seemed to have faced immense mental stress as a result, as he later attempted suicide by overdosing on anti-anxiety pills. Fortunately, he has made a full recovery and is now healthy.
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As of today, T.O.P. has ended his contract with YG Entertainment and is now pursuing his own business ventures. This incident reminds us that drugs are not the way to go and there are better, healthier alternatives to destress.
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Han Seo Hee’s involvement did not stop with T.O.P as she was involved in another drug scandal with another YG artist – then-iKon’s B.I.
During an investigation into her drug activities, Han accused B.I of trying to purchase various drugs such as marijuana and LSD from her in 2019.
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In response to her accusations, B.I said that while he did seriously consider getting drugs due to various reasons such as the pressure to perform well at work, he ultimately decided not to go ahead with it.
He also made the decision to resign from iKON in order to not affect the rest of the group. He even went radio silent for a few years afterwards.
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B.I has since gone on to have a successful solo career with popular releases such as BTBT.
This incident reveals to us that our idols are just as human as we are, and they face the same stresses, if not more. The stress might sometimes push them towards the wrong decisions, so it’s up to us fans to send them our support and be a bit more understanding of their situations.
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In December 2020, Channel A reported that Ilhoon, then-main rapper of the K-pop group BTOB, had been arrested for charges of habitual marijuana consumption over the past 4-5 years.
It was also reported that Ilhoon had purchased the drugs using cryptocurrency to avoid creating a trail that could lead back to him, and he allegedly spent over KRW130 million (~USD103,704).
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After his trials, Ilhoon was sentenced to 2 years in jail and USD$120,000 in fines. He was also swiftly removed from BTOB.
Again, using drugs leads to heavy repercussions. There are legal ways to cope with stress. It’s also helpful to remember that if we are facing tough times, we can talk to our friends and loved ones, rather than taking on the stress alone and finding solace in unhealthy coping mechanisms.
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Han Seo Hee has been tangled up with many drug scandals surrounding idols, and the last one on this list involves the ex-leader of Monsta X, Wonho. While he had been investigated for marijuana charges once in 2013, he was cleared of them.
His bigger scandal however, happened in 2019 when his ex-lover Jung Da Eun dug up his past for the entire world to see.
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Jung Da Eun alleged on social media that Wonho owed her a lot of money and did not show any signs of paying her back. She also accused him of stealing her stuff to sell online.
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These revelations were triggered by Han Seo Hee, who claimed to be dating Jung Da Eun at the time. They further went on to reveal Wonho’s past charges of theft and various petty crimes, which landed him in juvenile detention.
Wonho subsequently made the decision to leave Monsta X, stating that he did not want his past to tarnish what his fellow members are trying to accomplish.
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While Wonho’s past was indeed tumultuous, he has since turned over a new leaf and now has a successful solo career. His efforts are evident in his current work ethic and passion – no one gets a body like his without dedication and hard work.
This incident shows that people can change, and they should not be defined by their past if they have grown as a person.
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The last member of BIGBANG involved in a controversy, Daesung reportedly owned a property in Gangnam that had been hosting illegal activities for many years.
The upper floors of said building were registered as restaurants even though there were no signs of food operations anywhere. Visitors and neighbours noted that the upper floors of his building were inaccessible at certain times of the day, and even reported seeing luxury cars and women going into the building at night, which was unusual.
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Investigations found that the upper floors were actually a members-only bar that hosted illegal activities, including prostitution, for various VIPs and clients.
While Daesung claimed that he had no idea these activities were going on, further probing found that the illegal club had been operating since 2006, before his purchase of the building. His credibility was thus put into question, since checking current rental information is vital when purchasing a building.
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In the end, he was cleared of all charges.
This is a stern reminder to always do your due diligence when it comes to businesses. Even small mistakes of the past can tarnish one’s present reputation.
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Moving away from drugs, this next scandal is an example of how relationship issues can lead to real-world consequences. During filming of the drama My Time, actor Kim Jong Hyun was reported to have adamantly insisted that there was to be no skinship at all with co-star Seohyun. Many scenes were said to have been re-written to cater to his demand.
Image adapted from: namu.wiki
He also showed up to the drama’s press conference in a bad mood, remaining expressionless and acting curt to the press. When Seohyun tried to initiate a couple-y pose for the camera, he actively shifted away and told her not to touch him.
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Staff members later revealed that Kim would fly into fits of rage when the director failed to accommodate his requests. He also treated Seohyun coldly, causing her tremendous mental stress. He eventually quit the drama entirely, forcing the staff to rewrite the ending.
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It was later revealed that the reason behind Kim’s bizarre behaviour was his then-girlfriend, actress Seo Ye Ji. Seo Ye Ji had demanded, amongst other things, that he would not have any skin contact with Seo Hyun and any other women.
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Seo Ye Ji’s emotional abuse of Kim Jong Hyun was brought to light through their text messages, where she could be seen controlling and manipulating him psychologically.
Soon after, Seo Ye Ji’s coworkers and staff accused her of being abusive towards them as well, often cursing at staff members and preventing them from eating whenever she was in a bad mood. As a result, she was forced to leave the drama she was filming at the time.
Image credit: tvN
Though Seo refrained from making public appearances after the scandal, she recently made a comeback in the K-drama Eve. It remains to be seen how her public image will shape up, moving forward.
This case is a timely reminder to not be blinded by our feelings and be vigilant of toxic behaviour, lest they affect our relationships with others.
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According to netizens, the following 2 scandals were the reasons why HYBE – formerly Big Hit Entertainment – did not have female trainees for the longest time. Whether this is true or not, the incidents caused a huge stir and prematurely put to death the career of a potentially great girl group.
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GLAM was the first girl group that Big Hit created, debuting in 2012 with Party XXO. Though their debut was met with middling success, fans were appreciative of the LGBT-friendly message in the song.
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But member Trinity suddenly left the group in 2013 without an explanation. It was rumoured that she was a sasaeng fan – basically a stalker – of Super Junior’s Lee Teuk. However, this was a small thing compared to what happened next.
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In September 2014, actor Lee Byung Hun went to the police to report 2 people attempting to blackmail him. It was later revealed that the 2 were GLAM member Kim Dahee and her model friend Lee Chi Yeun. Reportedly, the pair tried to extort KRW5 billion from Lee with a recording of him making sexual jokes in their presence.
The day Kim Dahee’s identity was revealed, Big Hit announced the disbandment of GLAM.
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The 2 ladies tried to flee the country, but were arrested and sentenced to 1 year in prison each. Lee Byung Hun appealed for a lighter sentence as he did not want them to face harsh punishment, so Kim Dahee was let out on bail and put on probation for 2 years.
Image adapted from: AfreecaTV
After her probation, Kim Dahee made her return to the entertainment world as Kim Si Won, a broadcast jockey on AfreecaTV. She seems to be doing extremely well, reportedly earning up to USD600,000 from user donations alone.
This goes to show that money can and should be earned through legal means – why jeopardise your career with an easily avoidable mistake?
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The East Light was a 6-member boy band under Media Line Entertainment that debuted in 2016. While they weren’t extremely popular from the get-go, they had a small and tight fan base. The band soon gained traction and opportunities to collaborate with other big stars such as N.Flying and Mamamoo.
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But just when it seemed like these boys were poised to enjoy success, a 2018 leak revealed the tragic abuse that the members were experiencing under their company’s producer.
In response to the leak, the leader of The East Light, Lee Seok Cheol, held a press conference to confirm the rumours.
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The abuse started when the members were merely 13-14 years old. They would get beaten with bats or iron bars and threatened with even more abuse if they tried to tell their parents.
They even once had guitar strings wrapped around their necks, which were tightened to choke them whenever they made a mistake while practising.
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Lee Seok Cheol’s brother Lee Seung Hyun was kicked out of the group when he reported the abuse to the company’s CEO.
At the trials, both the producer who beat the boys and the CEO of Media Line pled guilty to varying charges of child abuse and the abetting of child abuse. They were sentenced to 16 months and 8 months in prison respectively.
Image adapted from: namu.wiki
Thereafter, members Lee Eun Sung and Jung Sa Gang held a press conference to accuse the Lee brothers of lying, claiming that their abuse was conferred upon them by their own father. They were later sued and charged with perjury when the producer and CEO were found guilty.
The East Light issue highlights and reiterates the need to protect trainees – idols are not products and they should be treated with dignity and respect.
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Another group that was failed by their management – the very people responsible for them – was Omega X. Their plight was brought to light when a fan tweeted that they saw the SPIRE Entertainment CEO outside a concert venue hitting and berating Omega X members. The tweet was accompanied by audio recordings of the members pleading the CEO to stop.
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This was corroborated by another fan, who said that her mother had witnessed Omega X getting yelled at at the airport and hotel during their South American tour. More and more accounts exposing the CEO’s abusive behaviour, as well as witness accounts of the boys getting berated and beaten during their US tour, swiftly emerged.
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One account revealed how the CEO caused a ruckus at the hotel and the boys had to be relocated to other rooms. Other guests stepped in to stop the violence, but the CEO still went into the members’ rooms in the middle of the night to take food away from them.
SPIRE Entertainment released a statement in response to this, saying that the scolding was a “disagreement” and that they had resolved the issue.
In an interview, the CEO explained that the first recording was released by an anti-fan who wanted to cause hate and make ruckus. Acting as the victim, the CEO said that it was the members who had “disappointed her” and that she was usually very polite towards them.
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As the allegations mounted, SBS reported that the members’ flight tickets back to Korea were cancelled and they had to pay for their own return.
SBS then released a video of the CEO shouting at the members publicly and even hitting one of them, with member Jaehan seemingly having a panic attack and collapsing on the floor from the abuse.
Image credit: @omegax_official
SBS also revealed that during their world tour, some members were forced to perform while down with Covid-19.
In response to these revelations, the CEO announced her resignation from her role, but this was questionable as she was shown to maintain relations with the current SPIRE chairman.
Image credit: @omega_x__for_x
OMEGA X then created their own Instagram account in defiance of the company to tell their fans that they are okay. They also held a press conference on November 16, during which the members revealed that not only did the CEO force them to drink, she also frequently touched them inappropriately and threatened to kill herself.
They further disclosed that the CEO would constantly harass the members on Kakao Talk at all hours of the day, and would get upset if their replies were not instantaneous. Omega X said that this behaviour led to panic disorder symptoms in many of the members.
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Netizens later found past social media posts by the CEO, where she openly crushed on the maknae of Omega X, Yechan, who was underage at the time.
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Omega X and their attorneys applied for the termination of their contracts and rights to all their IPs. Their attorneys also stated that instead of an apology, SPIRE had issued the band a threat to pay up to KRW400 million to clear their debt.
Image credit: @omega_x__for_x
The public’s response to this incident was nothing short of heartwarming, with outpours of support for the boys – even from K-Pop fans who don’t stan Omega X – and the hashtag #protectOmegaX trending worldwide.
There is much to be said about the fast-paced and cutthroat K-Pop industry, but we move one step forward when we uphold the rights of idols and trainees alike. This incident will hopefully bring a better tomorrow for future idols to come.
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Lee Seung Gi became a household name in the Korean entertainment industry when he burst onto the scene in 2004 with the song Because You’re My Girl. He has since made waves with everything he has done, from his acting to his music.
With such stellar performances, one would assume that he would have been paid handsomely for his success. Yet, when Lee received his accounting receipts, he realised that he had been paid a grand total of KRW0 for all 18 years of musical success.
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Dispatch’s investigations revealed that Lee had been subject to gaslighting for his entire career. His company had been calling him a “Minus Singer”, saying that his music was not profitable even though it was not true.
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The truth started unravelling when Lee was mistakenly sent a message from a HOOK Entertainment employee showing the amount of profit that his album The Project had made.
When he forwarded this message to a senior and happily exclaimed that he actually made a profit for the first time, the senior questioned Lee’s contract details. This was when Lee started to realise that something was wrong.
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Dispatch’s further investigations revealed that not only has Lee been continuously manipulated by HOOK, he should also have been paid billions of won for his music. They discovered that Lee was made to pay out of his own pocket for things such as agent fees and meals during work when they should have been covered by HOOK.
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Investigations also found that HOOK’s CEO was abusive to not only Lee, but also to other employees such as Lee’s manager. An audio recording where the CEO could be heard threatening to kill Lee and berating his manager was released.
It is sad to realise that not everyone has our best interests at heart. This incident reminds us to always take steps to ensure our own well-being and to listen to our gut.
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Drinking is a well-known aspect of Korean culture. Many people enjoy the occasional drinking session with friends, and celebrities are no different. But there are some things we should not do after drinking, with driving being one of them.
And yet, there are those who still make this potentially fatal decision, including celebrities. After School’s Lizzy was one of them, and she ended up crashing into a taxi when she drove under the influence in May 2021. She later went on Instagram Live to apologise tearfully for this incident.
Image adapted from: namu.wiki, namu.wiki
Younger idols have also committed this same mistake, which led to the premature ending of their budding careers. 2 of these instances were AB6IX’s Youngmin and Victon’s Heochan, both of whom drove after meeting friends for drinks and were subsequently caught. They were both removed from their respective groups as a result.
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Some instances of drunk-driving are more severe than others. One incident involved ZE:A’s Moon Jun Young, who drove head-on against oncoming traffic on a one-way street.
When he was confronted by other drivers, Moon allegedly got aggressive. He also supposedly refused a breathalyser test and was photographed vaping nonchalantly at the scene.
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Shinhwa’s Hyesung was similarly involved in a DUI incident – in a stolen vehicle, no less. Hyesung claimed that he had simply driven off with the car given to him by the restaurant’s valet.
However, the restaurant claimed that his car model and the one he took were completely different, and that there had been no valet at the time of the incident. He also refused a breathalyser test at the time of arrest.
It goes without saying that drink driving is extremely dangerous and illegal. Plan alternative transportation arrangements if you’re going out drinking so you can protect yourself and others.
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In August 2021, a Twitter user came forth to accuse NCT and WAYV member Lucas of being a gaslighter and a cheater. The user claimed that while she was dating him, he would allegedly initiate a break-up but would keep trying to meet up.
During those “dates”, Lucas would ask her to pay for everything because he did not want to use his card and expose his status as a celebrity. Lucas also allegedly demanded luxury presents and expensive hotel room bookings.
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After these allegations came out, 2 other alleged girlfriends came forward with their accounts of Lucas’ gaslighting and cheating. The 3rd victim uploaded screenshots of Lucas’ messages asking her to buy him a Balenciaga jacket. She claimed that he had confessed to cheating on her while they were seeing each other.
Image credit: @lucas_xx444
SM Entertainment and Lucas did not confirm these claims outright but both released statements saying that Lucas would be “deeply reflecting” on these issues. Lucas’ then-upcoming song with fellow bandmate Hendery was also halted as a result, and it is still unreleased to this day.
Image credit: @lucas_xx444
That said, Lucas may be making a return to the K-Pop scene pretty soon as he has recently started posting on Instagram again and even took a picture with SM Entertainment’s CEO.
Fidelity in a relationship is important. No one gets away with cheating forever. Even celebrities like Lucas eventually suffer consequences.
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On October 8th 2002, S#ARP member Lee Ji Hye attacked fellow member Seo Ji Young in what would be known as the KBS Lift Incident. This incident led to a press conference and ultimately the disbandment of one of K-pop’s biggest groups of the 1st generation, all in a matter of days.
Before KARD, S#ARP was the 1st successful co-ed K-pop group to hit the scene, with hits produced by Lee Sang Min, known better today for his regular appearance on Knowing Brothers.
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It is alleged that due to main vocalist Seo Ji Young’s immense family influence, the group was created for her to live out her K-pop dreams. However, Lee Sang Min later recruited Lee Ji Hye as Ji Young was unable to hit the high notes that he liked to include in his songs.
Over time, more and more lines got allocated to Ji Hye, even in past songs that were already recorded before Ji Hye had joined. Eventually Ji Hye replaced Ji Young as the main vocalist. With both of them essentially fighting for attention in S#ARP songs, the 2 male members became glorified backup dancers.
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Allegedly, Ji Young got the 2 male members to ostracise Jihye, to the point where they could not even be on the same stage together as tensions easily escalated into conflict. During their live performances, Ji Hye had to perform on her own stage away from the other 3.
The ostracisation prevented the group from doing anything together, and Ji Hye even had to be superimposed onto the Style album cover in post-production. Choreography was made simpler to account for the lack of group practices.
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Fellow member Seok Hyun tried to remain friends with Jihye, but could not do anything about the situation. Ji Hye was able to confide in him about her problems.
Allegedly, Ji Young constantly dished out verbal and physical abuse, and her then-boyfriend would go on forums to attack Ji Hye while pretending to be a Ji Young fan.
Image credit: KOCOWA TV
This tension culminated in the KBS Lift Incident. Seo Ji Young supposedly kept singing the words “unlucky bitch” to the tune of a children’s song, and Ji Hye could no longer take it and finally lashed out. While Ji Hye claimed that she only hit Ji Young 2-3 times, Ji Young alleged that she was hit 7-8 times.
Image credit: seojiyoung
To address these issues, Seo Ji Young held a press conference where she claimed that Ji Hye was the bully all along. During the conference, accusations were made about Ji Hye’s character by fellow S#arp member Chris and other staff members, all whom Ji Young had allegedly bribed.
But in a surprise twist, their manager broke his silence and revealed how Ji Hye was the actual victim of Ji Young’s bullying. Ji Young immediately left the press conference upon this revelation.
Image credit: namu.wiki
S#arp was disbanded on 15th October, and the 3 members received so much hate that they were forced into a hiatus. Ji Hye, however, went on to have a successful solo career.
Image credit: BBACKENT – SBS OLD ENTERTAINMENT
In 2008, both women went on the show Intimate Note and finally talked about their feelings, and Ji Young finally apologised. Since then, the 4 members of S#arp have reconciled and have even hung out on multiple occasions.
Image credit: @jihyesharp
We have to commend Ji Hye for being able to forgive and be friends with Jiyoung after what she had gone through. We can only hope that such incidents of bullying would cease to exist in this industry and that mature professionals like Ji Hye would come to the spotlight.
Image adapted from: namu.wiki, namu.wiki
While overt cases like that of S#ARP have not surfaced since, accusations of bullying have been thrown around from various sources. The most notable cases of bullying in recent years involve T-ara’s Hwayoung and ex-AOA’s Kwon Mina.
Video adapted from: 1theK (원더케이)
T-ara’s Hwayoung was rumoured to be bullied when she was spotted crying outside their waiting room at a music show.
This was compounded by the fact that after Hwayoung’s injury was announced, netizens wrongly interpreted messages posted by other T-ara members as calling out Hwayoung’s lack of discipline.
Image credit: @memorablekpop
Other variety show clips were also taken out of context, most notably the clip of Hwayoung getting a rice cake stuffed in her mouth. T-ara’s image took a plunge due to this scandal and has not recovered since.
In 2017, a former T-ara staff member came forward to allege that Hwayoung and her twin sister, Hyoyoung, were the real bullies all along.
Image credit: @kvwowv
Ex-AOA Kwon Mina also threw bullying accusations at fellow member Jimin. She posted on her social media that Jimin had bullied her, resulting in extreme stress and mental health issues.
Netizens and fans fully supported Mina, and Jimin was forced to retire from AOA and the K-pop industry. However, it was later revealed that Mina had made up many of her claims.
Image adapted from: namu.wiki, namu.wiki, namu.wiki
Other idols have also been accused of bullying. Stray Kids’ Hyunjin went on a short hiatus that ended with the release of Mixtape: OH. His friends and family denied the allegations, and after meeting with his accuser, they reportedly resolved all their issues.
Others were not so fortunate. Garam was removed from Le Sserafim 6 days after debut, and Soojin was removed from (G)-Idle when bullying allegations were put forth.
While bullying accusations should be taken seriously, these cases tell us that it is best to wait for more information before taking sides, lest possibly innocent careers be destroyed prematurely.
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During their early days, SNSD did not get much support. During their debut, SNSD received significant pushback from fans of the then-ultra-popular Super Junior. ELFs – fans of Super Junior – were not pleased that these girls were able to spend time in proximity with their idols in various endorsements.
Video adapted from: kathryniii
Fans of other boy groups such as 2PM also criticised SNSD for appearing with their idols in various commercials. This led to rising tensions between SONEs – SNSD fans – and other fandoms.
Video adapted from: Sunrise_0801
The tension came to a boiling point during the Dream Concert in 2008, when SONEs allegedly tore up a banner that ELFs had made for their idols. This led to an altercation between the fandoms.
Subsequently, ELFs and fans of other K-Pop groups turned off their lightsticks during SNSD’s performance, leaving them to perform for a dark crowd for 10 whole minutes. This incident led to the term “Black Ocean”, which refers to when audiences turn off their lightsticks and leave the performance venue pitch black.
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Despite that, SNSD gave a stellar performance, and are today still regarded as the Queens of K-Pop thanks to their passion and effort.
At the end of the day, while tensions may rise between fans, the idols are innocent and should not have to bear the blame for fandom wars.
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When the variety show Produce 101 came onto the scene in 2016, it took the world by storm. The resulting project group, I.O.I, experienced immense success during their short active period. The groups formed in the 2nd and 3rd seasons, Wanna One and IZ*ONE, also became powerhouse groups in their own right.
The main appeal of the show was the sense of personal involvement it gave the viewers, who could decide who got into these idol groups through their votes.
Image credit: @ioi_official_ig
But accusations of voting manipulation came about when fans discovered a strange pattern to the voting numbers of the Produce shows. In particular, the final votes for selected X1 members were all multiples of 7494.
The accusations lead to a police raid of Mnet, which the company behind the Produce series. The producer of Produce 101, as well as other staff members, reportedly received bribes such as drinks and prostitutes from various entertainment companies in exchange for their trainees’ debut in the project groups.
Image credit: @official_izone
The investigation found that the final lineups for both X1 and IZ*ONE had already been decided even before voting began. The Seoul High Court found that around 2-3 members of X1 were rigged into the group.
Image credit: @x1official101
This scandal came out as X1 was making their debut. This disrupted their promotions and eventually led to their disbandment.
Image adapted from: namu.wiki, namu.wiki
Some trainees that were unfairly denied their shot at fame were Gaeun and Chowon, who ranked 5th and 6th respectively at the end of Produce 48 prior to the rigging of votes.
This scandal shed light on the lengths some people would go for financial gain and its impact on the innocent people involved, like the trainees snubbed by the rigged voting. In any industry, we must hope for transparency and honesty among our leaders so people, including potential idols, don’t get left behind.
Image credit: @dear.zia
Song Ji-A was a contestant on the Netflix reality show Single’s Inferno who was highly praised for her looks and strong personality. Many compared her to top female idols Jennie and Wonyoung, with whom she shared physical similarities.
Image credit: @dear.zia
However, Korean netizens soon found out that many of the luxury items that she was seen wearing in her Youtube channel and in Single’s Inferno were fakes. This came as a problem for Ji-A. whose influencer image revolves around luxury.
Image credit: @dear.zia
As Ji-A had dreams of eventually starting her own fashion brand, this was extra problematic as her wearing of fakes was seen as copyright infringement and disrespect to designers.
Ji-A admitted to the allegations and apologised for her mistakes. She then deleted all her social media posts and went silent for a few months.
Image credit: @dear.zia
She eventually came back on Instagram and she seems to be doing well. We can all learn from Ji-A’s case to not take shortcuts, especially when you’re in the public eye. Integrity always pays off.
Image credit: namu.wiki
From the get-go, Steven Yoo – then known as Yoo Seung Joon – drew a massive amount of positive attention from the public due to his great vocal, rapping and dance skills, as well as his impressive physique.
The Korean public also loved his well-mannered and well-spoken demeanour, breaking stereotypes of Korean-Americans, who were then seen as uncouth. He also made several claims about planning to serve in the Korean military despite having a US green card.
Image credit: 유승준 공식 Yoo Seung Jun OFFICIAL
However, in a perceived act of betrayal, he traded in his Korean citizenship for an American one in 2002 when it was nearing his time to serve in the Korean army. His decision made him the most hated celebrity in an instant. He is currently banned from entering South Korea as this constitutes an act of desertion.
The lesson here is to honour your promises. While we do not have the full picture behind Steve’s decisions, people will not know your reasons. They can only see your actions and hear your words.
Image credit: namu.wiki
In January 2020, SM Entertainment announced that Chen would be getting married to his non-celebrity partner.
Image credit: Lysn
This was accompanied by Chen’s handwritten letter, which he posted on social media, expressing his wish to spend the rest of his life with his then-girlfriend. Barely 9 months after the wedding, Chen became a father, suggesting that his girlfriend had been pregnant at the time of the announcement.
This drew backlash from EXO-Ls, citing that he was irresponsible for getting his girlfriend pregnant and getting married before serving in the army. Some fans also called Chen a traitor to EXO and their fanbase.
Image credit: @weareone.exo
There was even a movement to get him kicked out of EXO, but in a rare moment of loyalty, SM Entertainment stood by Chen. Some Korean EXO-Ls and the international community also expressed their support for him.
Despite the hate, Chen is happy in his marriage and made his return to the entertainment world in 2022 with a new album. We should take this chance to remember that as long as our idols are happy, healthy, and not breaking the law, we fans should be happy for them as well.
We common folk will never truly understand what goes on behind the glitz and glamour that celebrities portray. It is on us fans to be critical of what we see and to stand up for injustices when we spot them.
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Cover image adapted from: tvN, @dear.zia, Namu Wiki
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