5 Things Some K-Pop Idols Are Surprisingly Banned From Doing
K-Pop agencies place a lot of rules on their idols, and there are a surprising amount of things that agencies restrict idols from doing. Here’s a list of things some K-Pop idols are surprisingly banned from doing.
1. Eating certain foods
The K-Pop industry is quite obsessed with the weight of idols, as idols usually are “expected” to be extremely thin. This has caused some agencies to ban certain foods, as they fear that their idols will gain weight. BTS‘s RM was once banned from eating jjajangmyeon (Korean-style Chinese noodle dish with thick black bean sauce) during promotional periods.
2. Going to clubs or bars
Some agencies aren’t in favor of their idols going to clubs or bars.
BLACKPINK has shared in the past that rookies at YG Entertainment are banned from going clubbing.
Park Jin Young has shared in the past that all employees at JYP Entertainment are banned from entering bars with only women servers. These kinds of bars typically only hire women to cater to male customers. Park Jin Young is extremely strict about this rule and has no problems firing an employee if they break this rule.
I told them (some employees at JYP Entertainment), ‘It doesn’t matter if the company fails. As soon as you put one foot into one of those bars, then prepare to be fired.’
— Park Jin Young
3. Talking
Some K-Pop idols were given a “mysterious image” by their companies. INFINITE‘s L shared that when he debuted in INFINITE, their company, Woollim Entertainment, decided to give him a mysterious concept.
Don’t other agencies do this too? Mine gave me a ‘concept’ to follow. I was supposed to be the mysterious one.
— L
Due to this image, L was told not to talk or laugh, as it would “break character”.
I couldn’t even laugh. If I had to, I would turn around and laugh in secret. If I did anything that would “break character”, I got into a lot of trouble with the agency.
— L
4. Driving
This one is pretty much exclusive to idols from YG Entertainment, as idols from YG Entertainment are not allowed to drive! WINNER‘s Mino has shared in the past that idols at the company aren’t allowed to buy or drive a car, even if they have a driver’s license.
We have to get approval (from Yang Hyun Suk Sajangnim) and I’m pretty sure the chances of him saying yes is very slim.
— Mino
5. Dating
Dating has always been a touchy topic, as some “fans” and netizens believe that idols shouldn’t be allowed to date, as it takes away the “fantasy” from fans. While some K-Pop agencies allow their idols to date from debut, most agencies place some kind of ban on their idols.
