Don’t we all love to groove to the tunes of K-pop groups and idols? These stars have a massive following around the globe. Their lives look so flashy and luxurious—something straight out of a movie. But as they say, everything comes with a price, and here the price is quite hefty, every move you make is being watch with unforgivable scrutiny. I need to ask, does it seem worth it?
In the K-pop industry, everything these idols do or say is always under criticism, which isn’t new in any entertainment sector. But have you ever seen your favourite Bollywood or Hollywood celebrities apologising for little things like dating someone, gaining weight, or getting married? No, right. Whereas in K-pop idol culture, everything is subjected to intense scrutiny by the Korean media or fans.
It’s like the moment someone makes their debut, their public image, fashion choices, and even personal relationships are obsessively analysed by the media, who often tend to forget that these idols are just humans like everyone else. Their physical appearance is under continual monitoring, with constant and unreasonable ideals of beauty. Some idols have gone through extensive diets and cosmetic procedures because of this pressure to continue pleasing the audience.
The Scrutiny
Furthermore, any slip-up or tiny mistake from their well-maintained public persona often causes an immediate heated backlash that harms both their personal and professional lives. Their creative abilities get overshadowed by the intense public scrutiny, which turns them from real people going through personal and professional challenges to little more than objects of public entertainment and mass judgement.
The latest K-pop idol thrown under this bus is BTS member SUGA. The Seoul Yongsan Police Station announced on August 7 that SUGA has been found guilty for riding an electric scooter commonly called a kickboard under alcohol influence, which is a violation of the Korean road traffic act. Just to clarify, there’s no way we are downplaying drunk driving and its perils. But here the BTS member fell while parking the kickboard in front of his own house, being on the lowest speed, wearing a helmet, and following the designated path marked for kickboards.
[240825 Suga Weverse Post]
🐱 hello. this is suga.
ive come to apologize once again with a shameful heart.
i want to deeply apologize to all, fans and those who love us, whom i disappointed and hurt due to my wrong actions.— 미니융 🧸 (@miiniyoongs) August 25, 2024
As per the rule, SUGA had to face fines and punishments. To take a stand for his mistake, the idol also issued multiple public apologies to his fans on social media. The whole situation turned messier when multiple South Korean media platforms made it their portal’s mission to portray SUGA as a nuisance in the group with morphed videos consisting of fake CCTV videos to tarnish his reputation for views and clicks.
When these media outlets were proved wrong by police and called out by fans, they merely issued an apology, insincerely. If you dig deep, this is not the first time the Korean media has openly bullied a celebrity when there are bigger issues in the country for them to exercise their power for the greater good.
BTS fans, aka ARMY, have come forward on Twitter to question how unprofessionally this whole situation was handled by the media, putting mental pressure on the rapper even after fulfilling the punishments. In the press, some had warned that if SUGA refused to appear in front of journalists, they promised to make his life even more difficult. Multiple celebrities like PSY, Lea Salonga, Pachinko author Lee Min Jin have come together to show their support to the idol.
K-Media’s History
Last year, South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, who was popularly known for his work in the Oscar-winning movie Parasite, sadly committed suicide. According to The Gaurdian, the weekend before he passed away, the actor was allegedly questioned by police for nineteen hours on allegations of drug use. The main reason for his suicide was the pressure by Korean media and the scrutiny he faced during his time.
The late star’s friend singer-songwriter Yoon Jong-shin asked in a press conference if media coverage of the late actor was actually conducted with a genuine public interest in safeguarding the public’s right to know. Later saying, “Was the biased reporting, emphasising the personal life of an individual solely due to their status as a public figure in the entertainment industry, justifiable? Were there any undue requests made to the police to place the deceased in the photoline due to their status as a public figure in the entertainment industry?”
What’s saddening is that even after his death, some outlets leaked details of his alleged suicide note, despite opposition from Lee’s family. There’s a long list of celebrities we have lost in the past few years due to the constant harassment by the media, including idols like Sulli, influencer Cho Jang-mi, actor Koo Hara, and many more.
Sexism in Media
Apart from all the constant negativity, there’s an obvious fact at this point that female idols face more criticism than male idols. Compared to boy groups, female lead groups are heavily criticised for everything. The clothes they wear, the guys they date, or even the way they eat in front of the camera. There’s no way for them to catch a break.
jennie gets hate for the most trivial things
her health is mocked by people
she is slutshamed for dating once
a video bodyshaming her was liked by a million people
and false accusations keep being made on her namejust let her live her life
RESPECT FOR JENNIE#RespectJennie pic.twitter.com/MsqhlAm93f
— gi ᴼᴬ 🐻ྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀི (@jennieaceitgirl) April 25, 2022
No matter how big or small the controversy is, fans and media are always harsher on them than their male counterparts. Slut-shaming female idols has been so normalised to the point where it happens unprovoked most of the time, be it any female idol’s stage costume or her dating rumours. The Internet often fills their and their bandmates comment sections with nasty remarks.
The Unrealistic Expectations
It feels like South Korean media takes the term “idol” too literally, trying to portray these people as picture-perfect. K-pop stars are held in such high regard and forced to be seen as role models to their admirers.
Who tends to treat them with such regard that when they make mistakes like any normal human being, it appears more brutal? Fans and media tend to forget that mistakes will keep happening, and it’s unhealthy for people to use idols as a support system for their problems. Due to the shame that Korean media places on these people and the lack of knowledge about mental health, the industry continues to lose brilliant and talented people.
Also, read: From F1 To Cricket, Why Do Most Men Look Down On Female Sports Fans?
From BTS To Barbie, Here’s Why Men Love Hating On The Things Women Enjoy
Celebrating 11 Years Of BTS: Here’s How The Group Became Bigger Than K-Pop
