Recently there was an incident in the K-Pop world that has gained international attention, and I just have to talk about it!
The Basics
Member of the Korean boy group RIIZE, Seunghan, was kicked out of the recently debuted group because he was caught in a scandal. What was the scandal you ask? Pre-debut photos of Seunghan resurfaced of him kissing his girlfriend at the time as well as smoking cigarettes underage. Seunghan was more or less pushed to leave RIIZE because of the backlash and hate he was receiving from predominantly Korean netizens.Â
Why is it a problem?
Many of the things that are deemed appropriate here in the U.S. are not deemed appropriate in South Korea. Yes, underage smoking is illegal here in the U.S. and is discouraged greatly, but it certainly isn’t what post people would consider to be the worst crime someone underage could commit. In South Korea however, it is a much bigger deal. On top of that, the act of dating while still attending grade school is also looked down upon and considered taboo in South Korea.
Dating in general is a controversial issue in the world of K-Pop. I’ve been a K-Pop fan for over seven years, and I can say for certain that there have always been netizens who hate the idea of their idol/celebrity dating. In fact, most of the scandals K-pop idols are involved in are “dating scandals”. The reason that dating is seen as a scandal in the first place is because the entertainment companies that train and debut idol groups, often have a dating ban written into an idols contract that they have with the company. Fans would become upset with the specific idol that was caught dating because often it would lead to their departure from their respective group or entertainment company. While dating bans aren’t really a thing anymore in K-pop, the negative aura around the matter is still there.
cause and effect
Originally Seunghan was put on a hiatus by his entertainment company, SM Entertainment. The original plan was to put Seunghan on a hiatus until the whole thing blew over. For reference, he officially went on hiatus on November 22, 2023. It wasn’t until October 11 of 2024 that it was announced that he would be resuming his position in the group. It was only two days later, on October 13th, that it was announced that he would officially be leaving the group.Â
The reaction
For the two days he was back in the group, anti-fans of Seunghan and the group were harassing him and the other members nonstop! Anti-fans were protesting online and emailing his agency, telling them that he needed to officially be removed from the group. What many fans, both of the group and of K-pop in general, found to be the most disturbing was that many of the anti-fans got together and sent death/funeral wreaths with Seunghans’ name on them, to the company’s main building, right where all the employees and idols would see them
the company responds
After two days, it was decided by both the company and Seunghan himself, that he would step down as a member and officially leave the group. In the company’s announcement it was revealed that the ultimate reason for Seunghan “deciding” to leave the group was because he didn’t want to hurt the group’s image any longer.
fighting for what’s right!
Those who support Seunghan and are against his departure are now boycotting SM Entertainment. They quit buying any of their goods and refuse to listen to any of the artists under the company. His supporters have also sent an LED truck to park outside of the SM building, displaying their messages of disappointment and anger. They even sent a blimp to fly around the company, which read their request for justice for Seunghan and better treatment and protection for the other artist that are in SM’s care.
The problem isn’t over. In fact, it’s only just begun. You see, what I didn’t mention earlier is that many of Seunghan’s supporters are international fans. Meaning that most of them live outside of South Korea. Of course it’s not only international fans, fans living in Korea have also physically conducted peaceful protests outside of SM Entertainment. And understandably, the South Korean entertainment companies that are located in South Korea and produce K-pop artists, typically listen to fans in South Korea, significantly more so than they do international fans. Because of that, this is the first time international fans are not only speaking out but also being heard!
As this whole situation continues to unfold and with international fans speaking up and standing up for themselves, I sense a lot of changes happening in the world of K-pop. Though whether those changes are good or bad, we’ll just have to wait and see.