It's officially June, which means we're already half-way through the year. Here is a list of a few news that arose in the idol community during these past six months. Keep updated with your favorite idols by reading more articles from us.
EXO's Chen
We started off January with a shocking announcement from SM Entertainment that one of their artists is planning a significant and precious occasion in his life. Many people have been wondering about EXO Chen's current status at that time, while others have been speculating about his rumored relationship.
Finally, the singer gathered the courage to write and post a personal letter to his fans about his decision to get married to his non-celebrity girlfriend after receiving support from his company. In the letter, he included that the step towards marriage was carefully thought out and was not rushed at all. The idol also revealed the existence of his child, and it becomes a source of strength for him.
Hongbin's drunk broadcast
On a live video broadcasting platform, Twitch, VIXX Hongbin celebrates her anniversary on the platform with his fans. During the virtual party, he played various tracks of several K-pop groups, where he carelessly said offensive words to the music of the bands including SHINee and INFINITE. He, later on, appeared with a public apology.
Jaejoong April Fools' Prank About COVID-19
Amidst the warning of the authorities to have mild pranks during the April Fools' Day, Jaejoong's prank angered netizens and his fans after lying that he tested positive after undergoing COVID-19 testing. Jaejoong faced massive criticism, but he did apologize to everyone for his insensitive behavior.
NCT Dream's Jaemin
While beginning their promotions during their comeback with "Ridin" earlier this year, one of NCT Dream's members faced dating speculations. A screenshot was spreading in every social media platform and the topic of "Who is Na Jaemin's girlfriend?" became a trending topic in multiple Korean online platforms since others were allegedly using the idol's Netflix account.
Even before the screenshot spread, actress Kim Jiin, Jaemin's love interest in the web drama The Way I Hate You, was already being rumoured to be the idol's girlfriend. The screenshot being mentioned was a Netflix series that the actress was watching which was quickly deleted. Many fans were also quick to point out that the circulating picture was an edited version.
97' liner Idols in Itaewon
Another headliner in the idol community was when the famous male idol friends were revealed to be spotted in a few place in Itaewon during the night of April 25, these include BTS's Jungkook, Seventeen's Mingyu NCT's Jaehyun and ASTRO's Cha Eunwoo. Their respective agencies were quick to confirm and apologize for their artists' actions.
They also informed the public that their artists voluntarily got tested for COVID-19 and all four results came back negative. Jaehyun and Cha Eunwoo posted each of their apology letters for not abiding the 14- day self-isolating requirement mandated by the Korean Center of Disease Control since they were attending their promotional and official schedules.
Produce Series Rank Manipulation
The issues and investigations regarding JTBC's Produce series are never-ending. Around late April, another investigation regarding the second season of Produce 101 and it's allegedly rigged voting system was reopened once again. However, the prosecutor handling the case claims that there is a "lack of wrongdoing" in the re-examination of the electoral fraud for the show.
AB6IX's Youngmin
The most recent news about AB6IX's postponed comeback which was scheduled to happen on June 8. This decision was made due to the driving under the influence incident that AB6IX's Youngmin was issued on May 31. Brand New Music released a statement confirming that the idol was indeed caught by the authorities and had his driving licence revoked immediately. The label also announced that Youngmin would not be participating in AB6IX's comeback promotions for their VIVID album.
SUGA's track with Jim Jones Sample
On the recently released mixtape of the idol under the name 'Agust D', his track, 'What Do You Think?' became controversial after using a sample speech of a cult leader named Jim Jones who mass murder-suicide over 900 of his followers.
"Suga sampled Jim Jones and produced the song himself, but he didn't even apologize and is still hiding behind the agency," said by a netizen.
