6 Things That Could Ruin The Careers Of K-Pop Idols

Netizens have high expectations of K-Pop idols, and there are many things idols can do that can essentially ruin their careers. A YouTube channel by the name of KOOKIELIT uploaded a video of some things that could ruin the careers of an idol. Here’s what was listed.

1. Bullying

Netizens and fans view bullying scandals seriously, as many idols have had their careers ruined due to them. One of the most famous cases is when netizens believed that former T-ara member Hwayoung was bullied by the other members. One piece of “proof” was when Eunjung forcefully fed Hwayoung a rice cake.

Despite T-ara explaining the situation, netizens grew furious at the members and criticized them for their behaviors. T-ara’s popularity went plummeting down, and they never recovered their popularity after this incident. People would later come out and reveal that this was all a lie and that Hwayoung was the actual bully in the group.

Another famous case is one that happened recently. Former AOA member Mina recently came out and revealed that Jimin had bullied her during their time together in the group.

While Jimin initially denied Mina’s claims, Mina later shared posts about how much trauma Jimin caused on her. This eventually caused Jimin to leave AOA and retire from the entertainment industry, as her image was ruined.

2. Dating

K-Pop idols dating has always been a strange topic, as some believe that idols shouldn’t date for the “sake of their fans”. EXO‘s Chen recently announced that he was going to get married and become a father. While many fans were supportive of him, some Korean “fans” boycotted him for being in a relationship and stated that he should get kicked out of the group.

However, this boycott didn’t end up working, as SM Entertainment made a statement on how Chen would be staying with EXO.

3. Gambling

Gambling is illegal in Korea, and any form of gambling is looked at negatively by the Korean general public. SHINHWA’s Andy was caught gambling on soccer matches in 2013, and it led to him getting banned from MBC, one of Korea’s main broadcasting channels.

This ban didn’t end up lasting that long, as Andy was eventually forgiven for his actions, and was only banned from MBC for around a year.

4. Using drugs

Drugs are also something that is looked at negatively by netizens. Park Bom is someone who had her career greatly impacted due to a drug scandal.

In 2010, Park Bom was charged with trying to smuggle in amphetamine tablets from the United States. While amphetamine is legal in the United States, it’s illegal in Korea. Even though Park Bom showed medical proof that showed her long history with the prescription meds, netizens still bashed her. It got to the point where Park Bom was practically forced to go into hiatus due to the backlash.

5. DUI

There have been plenty of cases when idols had to leave their groups due to a DUI. Former Super Junior member Kangin got involved in a DUI in 2009, and his image took a major fall. He then got involved in another DUI in 2016, and he was immensely criticized by netizens, as they believed this showed that he never reflected on his actions. All of this eventually forced Kangin to leave Super Junior.

6. Avoiding military service

Military service is taken very seriously by the Korean general public, and a celebrity trying to avoid their service usually results in their careers ending. The most famous case of this is probably Steve Yoo (Yoo Seung Jun). In 2002, Steve Yoo was supposed to fulfill his mandatory military service, but he surprised many when he decided to give up his Korean citizenship to acquire an American one. While this resulted in the removal of his mandatory military service, he received major backlash for this. He was forced to leave South Korea, as the South Korean government viewed this as an act of desertion. He was also banned from entering the country as well. Since then, his image has never recovered, and he’s still looked at negatively after nearly two decades since the incident.