Top 5 shocking most K-pop scandals
K – Pop an abbreviation for Korean Pop Culture Music, is one of the biggest things trending in the world right now and groups like BTS are dominating the global music industry and they don’t seem to step down from the position any time soon. And the world of K-pop music is an ever growing full-fledged industry which was worth $578m as of 2019. And as of 2021, the net value just seems to increase day by day, and Big Hit Entertainment the company that formed BTS is alone $610m, which can only make one imagine how huge this industry is.
And bigger the industry, bigger are it’s issues. Although the industry always makes sure that it’s idols maintain a clean image, which will make the fans admire them even more and because they K – pop singers are given the title of ‘Idols’, their agencies want them to be clean and perfect without any flaws, so as to live up to the title of ‘role models or idols’. But it’s not as easy as it seems and idols do end up getting side tracked from their main role and become a part of controversial stuff.
And today we are going to look at some of the most shocking scandals in the K – pop industry of all times. Even after such strict regime followed by the idols to maintain a certain clean image and lifestyle, the number of scandals doesn’t seem to be any less. But today we look at the top 5 shocking most K – pop scandals of all times.
Park Bom of the girl group 2NE1 accused of smuggling drugs – 2NE1 a four member girl group under YG Entertainment, with members Bom, CL, Dara and Minzy. Once a member of the best-selling girl group of all times was accused of smuggling drugs via mail into South Korea from the US. Although later it was found that the drug that was brought into South Korea by mail was Adderall pills, which was a medication prescribed to the singer by her doctor in the US for her anxiety and depression from a traumatic experience caused by the death of her close friend. And because the medicine Adderall was banned in South Korea, the security staff thought that it was a drug smuggled into the country via mail. Although, all of this misunderstanding was cleared later and her agency also had issued a written letter for the same, the fans couldn’t forgive her, thus affecting her career.
Jung Joon – Young and Choi Jong – Hoon sentenced to prison over two different incidents of gang raping – South Korean singer and song writer Jung Joon – Young and former FT Island band member Choi Jong Hoon were sentenced to prison for five (Choi) to six (Jung) years for gang raping two women on two separate occasion in 2016. Apart from this singer Jung was also found filming a sex tape and making it viral without the consent and knowledge of the women. He had also shared the videos in group chats, whose members included the disgraced Seungri, the main star of the Burning Sun Scandal. And thus, Jung’s crime were heinous and became a part of the ‘spycam porn’. (Also known as molka in South Korea Spycam porn are videos shot largely by men secretly filming women in schools, public toilets or elsewhere). And this incident had put a full stop to both the idols career.
Model Lee Ji – Yeon and K – pop singer Dahee sentenced to prison for blackmailing famous actor Lee Byung – Hun – Former Girl group Glam’s member Dahee and model Lee Ji –Yeon were sentenced to prison for a year and two months for blackmailing actor Lee Byung Hun. They had threatened him by releasing a cell phone video of him drinking with them and making lewd remarks. And when asked that what made the two female celebrities to commit such an action, Dahee said that she was in debt with her agency, Big Hit Entertainment while Ji – Yeon had proposed the actor but he had rejected her. After the ladies had accepted to their crime, they sentenced to prison and Dahee was kicked out of her group Glam.
K – pop music MV director Cha Eun – Taek involved in corruption scandal, that also included the then President of South Korea – Cha Eun – Taek, a music video director who had worked with popular K – pop celebrites like Gangnam Style’s Psy, the boy band Big Bang and many more was charged for abuse of power, embezzlement, coercion. The prosecutors alleged that Cha Eun – Taek tapped his connection to one of the then President Park Geun – Hye’s confidantes to gain big projects and contarcts with private and government agencies. But after Cha Eun – Taek was imprisoned in jail for three years, then President Park of South Korea also became the first sitting president to face criminal charges.
The Burning Sun Scandal and K – pop star Seungri being the mastermind behind all of this - The Burning Sun Scandal or the Burning Sun Gate is one of the biggest scandal that has ever hit the ever so gorgeous K – pop industry. It is a 2019 sex and entertainment scandal in Seoul (capital of Korea), South Korea. This scandal involved many South Korean celebrities including many K – pop idols and Korean police officials. The Burning Sun club was also popularly known as the ‘Seungri’s club’ because of the involvement of the Big Bang member with the club. Thus making singer Seungri as one of the main culprits of the scandal.
The scandal gains attention when on 28 January, 2019, the MBC News desk alleged an assault against a male club goer at the Burning Sun Club, which is situated in the Gangnam area of Seoul by a staff member, while the incident dates back to November 2018. As soon as the incident was out in the open, the Seoul Metropolitan police agency started it’s investigation and found out the club’s involvement with drug trafficking, police corruption and prostitution. Later on it was also found that the K pop singer was a part of a messaging group along with fellow celebrities like Jung Joon –Young, who recorded video of themselves having sex with girls and making it viral video their consents. Although later he was indicted on various charges like gambling and organizing prostitution.
Thus making this as one of the biggest and shocking most scandal to ever hit the South Korean pop industy.
The South Korean music industry seems to be very clean and beautiful from the outside, as it always makes sure that it’s idols are well behaved and loved by the fans, their idols behave the way their fans would want them, but this is entertainment industry that we are talking about, which is very easily and effortlessly lures people in into it’s darkness of power abuse, violence, drugs and sex, thus letting mishaps happen that in turn tarnishes the good and almost clean and perfect image of the industry in front of the world.
But like every other thing even K – pop industry has it’s pros and cons, like even after learning about some of the most shocking scandals to ever take place in the industry, one cannot deny the fact that they do create some amazing music and have huge global fan base. They are loved for their music, lyrics and choreography, which is a fact.
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Ref: 5 most shocking scandals in K-pop | allkpop
The Most Stirring and Controversial K-Pop Scandals (insider.com)