Male Idol’s Most Embarrassing Photo Starts K-Pop’s “Airport Runway” Culture
For Korean celebrities, the airport isn’t just a place for departures and arrivals; It’s also a runway where they show off their visuals, outfits, and even brand sponsorships. And Kim Junsu, whose OG K-Pop legend era as TVXQ began way before the “airport runway” culture was a thing, believes he might have been the one who started it all.
In the latest episode of Radio Star, his first television appearance in 15 years, Junsu unveiled three of his worst airport looks, which inevitably created a lot of buzz back then. When host Kim Gu Ra asked about them, Junsu playfully agreed that even his oldest fans found them too embarrassing to embrace.
I was coming back to Korea from an international schedule, and I was photographed. Back then, I didn’t think looks were all too important for a singer, as long as I sang and danced well…
But when those pictures went viral, I got a lot of comments saying, ‘If someone like him can be a K-Pop idol, then I can be one, too.’
— Junsu
Junsu commented, “Now, there’s a thing called ‘airport fashion’ and it’s put together by the stylists and brands. It’s like a runway where stars can even promote themselves. But back then, it wasn’t like that at all.”
He then insisted his shocking airport looks might have been what convinced all entertainment agencies to start pampering their celebrities for their airport visits.
Not saying I’m proud of this or anything… But once those pictures got out into the world, all entertainment agencies started assigning stylists to idols who had airport schedules—as if to say their stars cannot have photos like that be taken. I’m serious. That’s when I also started getting styled before showing up at the airports, too.
— Junsu
As for the outfits he was photographed in, Junsu joked that he ripped them up and threw them away for becoming his most humiliating past.
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