The year 2021 saw an array of issues that caused mixed emotions to the general public, especially to K-pop fans, including bullying controversies, dating news, marriage announcements, and disbandment of idol groups. But, the past 12 months were also packed with incredible milestones of some artists.
Before the year ends, let's take a look at the hot topics that left the public in shock.
Dating News and Marriage Announcements in the K-pop Industry in 2021
BLACKPINK Jennie and G-Dragon
In February, Dispatch reported that BIGBANG G-Dragon and BLACKPINK Jennie have been in a relationship for a year. This dating news is probably one of the most shocking topics in 2021, as well as the most mysterious one as until now. It remains to be unknown whether this news is true or not.
ALSO READ: K-Media Outlet Updates on 'Relationship' of GD and BLACKPINK Jennie Amid Dating Rumor
Red Velvet Joy and Crush
Another unexpected dating news that came out in 2021 involves Red Velvet Joy and Crush, which no one didn't see coming. In August, Sports Chosun reported that the two have been in touch after working on their collab track "Mayday" and ultimately started dating.
iKON Bobby Announces Marriage and Fiancée's Pregnancy
iKON Bobby's announcement of his marriage also shook the K-pop industry in August. He announced that he promised marriage to his non-celebrity girlfriend and that they were expecting their first child. In September, the couple eventually became parents to a baby boy.
2PM Chansung Reveals He's Getting Married and Expecting a Baby with Fiancée
Another marriage announcement that left fans surprised is that of 2PM Chansung. He revealed that he plans to marry the person he has been in a relationship for a long time and that they are also about to become parents to their first baby.
2PM Chansung also announced that he will leave JYP Entertainment in January 2022, although he didn't mention whether he will leave the group as well.
BIGBANG Taeyang Welcomes First Child and EXO Chen Expecting His Second Child
In related topics, SM Entertainment announced in November that EXO Chen and his wife is expecting their second child. The couple welcomed their first child in April 2020 after tying the knot in January of the same year.
Meanwhile, BIGBANG Taeyang has welcomed his first child with wife Min Hyo Rin in early December. YG Entertainment announced that the actress gave birth to a healthy son.
Couple Celebrities in K-pop Who Broke Up in 2021
2AM Jinwoon and Former 9MUSES Kyungri
In May, TV Daily reported that Jeong Jinwoon and Kyungri had ended their relationship after being together since late 2017. And, this was confirmed by the stars' respective agencies. The reason for their breakup is allegedly due to the idols' busy acting schedules.
Super Junior Heechul and TWICE Momo
In July, Star Today reported that Kim Heechul and Momo had parted ways. The idols' respective agencies confirmed their breakup, although they did not specify the reason as it is the artists' private lives.
Super Junior Heechul and TWICE Momo made their relationship public in January 2020.
Some of the Bullying Controversies in the K-pop Industry in 2021
APRIL Members and Former Bandmate Hyunjoo
In March, an anonymous online community user made a post titled "All the members of APRIL are perpetrators." The girl group and DSP media has since denied the allegations but Hyunjoo insists that it actually happened. The two sides are currently going through a legal process.
Former (G)I-DLE Soojin
Soojin's bullying controversy probably had the most attention from K-pop fans. In late February, several anonymous people made posts online claiming that the female idol bullied other students, one of which is allegedly actress Seo Shin Ae.
After taking a break from group activities in early March, Soojin eventually left (G)I-DLE. It is uncertain whether she's still under CUBE Entertainment.
READ MORE: Post Claims Former (G)I-DLE Member Soojin Never Committed School Violence
Stray Kids Hyunjin
Stray Kids member Hyunjin was also embroiled in a bullying controversy in February. Several unnamed netizens shared posts online alleging that the rapper committed school violence against them and verbally abused them during middle school.
Hyunjin has since personally met the accusers and apologized to them, though it was not confirmed whether the claims were true as their memories of that time are completely different from each other.
ITZY Lia
Another JYP artist who was caught up in a bullying controversy is ITZY Lia. One of the idol's middle school classmates made a post online claiming to have been a victim of school violence. However, no further updates were released regarding this matter after JYP Entertainment asked for a reinvestigation as the police cleared the accusers of defamation charges.
SEVENTEEN Mingyu
The month of February also saw bullying allegations made against SEVENTEEN Mingyu. Several online posts were made accusing the idol of school bullying and sexual harassment. This resulted in Mingyu halting his activities.
After meeting up with the alleged victims, the issue has been finalized, with Mingyu apologizing to the accusers for hurting their feelings but it was not verified that he indeed was a bully.
NCT Lucas's Gaslighting and Cheating Controversy
In August, the whole K-pop industry was shocked when a Korean netizen claiming to be Lucas's ex-girlfriend shared a post on social media and accused the idol of gaslighting and being a gold digger. More netizens stepped forward to claim the same issue.
This resulted in NCT Lucas taking a break from group activities, starting in August. Until now, SM Entertainment is still yet to release an update about the matter.
IZ*ONE's, GFRIEND's and LOVELYZ's Disbandment
Along with the various dating rumors, controversies and marriage announcements, the year 2021 was also filled with unfortunate disbandment of several idol groups. Some of the most shocking ones are the disbandment of GFRIEND and LOVELYZ.
While IZ*ONE's disbandment was expected as they are only a project girl group, many fans didn't want the members part ways as they have made a name for themselves as one of the top K-pop groups.
BTS's Sold-Out 4-Day Concert in Los Angeles ("BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE")
Despite the many bad news in the past 12 months, there were also some good news and great moments shared. One of these is BTS's sold-out concerts in LA that took place for four non-consecutive nights.
The septet is the first artist to have four sold-out concerts held at the SoFi Stadium. They also achieved the biggest U.S. Billboard boxscore in 18 years, recording approximately $33.3 million after selling over 214,000 concert tickets.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: '#PTD_ON_STAGE_LA': How Much Did BTS Earn from the 4-Day Concert?
NCT Dream, Stray Kids and More K-pop Groups that Become Million-Sellers, Double Million-Sellers and Triple Million-Sellers in 2021
Another fantastic news this 2021 is that numerous idol groups have earned their first "million seller" title with their new albums. These acts are NCT Dream, NCT 127, Stray Kids, and ENHYPEN.
Moreover, both NCT 127 and NCT Dream attained a "triple million seller" titles. Meanwhile, SEVENTEEN are now quadruple million sellers and EXO has become sextuple million sellers.
BTS also earned more "million seller" titles this year with their old and new albums.
Which news or controversy shocked you the most this 2021? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Written by Mhaliya Scott
