Idols dating is often big news, and it’s common knowledge that they are prevented from dating, at least during the first few years after debut, and are often micromanaged by their (very stressed out) managers to make sure that they’re on their best behavior at all times.
1. Som Hein
In the summer of 2019, former Idol School contestant Som Hein bravely came out as bisexual on her Instagram. Unfortunately, many K-netizens were quick to criticize her as being abnormal and refused to support her relationship.
The international K-Pop community, however, rallied around Som Hein, praising her for her bravery. Since then, she has posted many loving pictures of her together with her non-celebrity girlfriend.
2. Sulli and Choiza
The late Sulli encountered a lot of hardship during her life. Despite doing nothing wrong, almost everything Sulli did was criticized by K-netizens. When news of the pair dating broke, Sulli was active in f(x), which was at the height of the group’s popularity. While Choiza experienced his share of criticism, many of the harsh words were directed at Sulli for appearing to not care about how her fans felt.
Although they ultimately broke up, they appeared to have remained close until her untimely passing, at which time Choiza shared a beautiful tribute on SNS in memory of Sulli.
3. EXO’s Chen
EXO‘s Chen shocked fans when he announced he was getting married to a non-celebrity and becoming a father in a letter shared with the group’s official fan club last month. While international EXO-Ls have been wildly positive and have shown nothing but support for Chen, some Korean fans couldn’t hide their devastation over the “betrayal” from their favorite idol. In the days that followed after the news of his impending marriage and fatherhood broke, 15 fansites closed down and K-EXO-Ls demanded his withdrawal from the group.
4. TWICE’s Momo And Super Junior’s Heechul
TWICE‘s Momo and Super Junior‘s Heechul were the first big couple reveal of 2020. While many fans and media (both domestically and internationally) embraced the Korea-Japan couple, the couple still encountered malicious comments from anti-fans. In one specific instance, Momo’s sister Hana Hirai was targeted by a troll who left crude and nasty comments about her relationship with Heechul. Both Momo and Heechul apologized to their fans for the dating news.
Unfortunately, dating scandals continue to be part and parcel of idol life. Although it’s widely agreed that idols are human and should be allowed to date whomever they want, there are a handful of people who stubbornly believe that idols should stick to the boyfriend or girlfriend image they sell to fans, even at the detriment of their mental or emotional health.
How do you feel about this topic? Do you agree that idols should be able to do what makes them happy, or do you feel strongly about them sticking to their image?
