In the K-pop industry, there's a term called "Celebrity Disease," which is when a celebrity thinks their status is higher than others due to their popularity. This disease would make them snobbish and believe that the world revolves around them, and nothing can function without them.
Several K-pop idols fell victim to "celebrity disease," and some of them are as follows.
K-pop Idols Who Had 'Celebrity Disease': Jeon Somi, Stray Kids Han, More
Jeon Somi
Finally, this male K-pop idol was accused of having the "celebrity disease" in early 2020 due to his manners during an Instagram live broadcast.
At that time, actress Kim Seulgi (who played the girlfriend of Jinhyuk's character in "Find Me in Your Memory") and Moon Ga Young held an Instagram live and acted as their respective characters from "Find Me in Your Memory." Jinhyuk appeared in the comments, and as a reply, Kim Seulgi said, "Honey, see you later," causing her to receive hate from Lee's fans.
As a result, UP10TION Lee Jinhyuk held his own Instagram live and asked the netizens to forget about it as it was only a simple mistake. He then read one comment that said, "How tiring for a superstar to pay mind to such trivial things," jokingly while playing the role of a "superstar."
This led to more hate comments, and netizens accusing him of having a "celebrity disease." He has since apologized after the controversy.
TWICE Chaeyoung
Chaeyoung was accused of catching the 'celebrity disease' after just a year since her debut.
Following the virality of "CHEER UP," Chaeyoung was seen exiting the JYP Entertainment building. She appeared to be on a call, with her phone pressed against her ear. Though fans were waiting at the entrance, Chaeyoung ignored their cheers and walked away.
People believe that Chaeyoung faked the phone call to ignore fans. It was noted that usually, when making or receiving a call, the phone screen would light up. However, Chaeyoung's screen remained dark the whole time - even when she moved the screen away from her ear to supposedly hang up the call.
The idol was slammed for ignoring fans, especially since she was still considered a rookie at the time.
f(x) Krystal
Krystal was accused of having "celebrity disease" in 2015. At the time, the idol-actress was slammed for her poor attitude during the 2015 MAMA ceremony.
During the red carpet interviews, Krystal looked bored and disinstered. When fellow MC Moon Hee Joon asked "You're not angry or anything, are you?," Krystal gave him a stern look. Her fellow member and co-host Luna quickly cracked a joke to dispel the tension.
Moon Hee Joon is a large senior in the industry, and Krystal was slammed for being rude to him. At the time, Krystal was on a rise with her activities as an idol and an actress, causing many to accuse the idol of having "celebrity disease" and being rude to her colleagues.
Additionally, Krystal was once called out in 2014 for being late to a Jill Stuar photo event, causing the whole event to be postponed a day later. People believe her tardiness is a direct cause of her "celebrity disease."
aespa NingNing
In October 2022, aespa member Ningning was accused of having "celebrity disease" following interaction with fans in Paris.
After attending the Givenchy show for Paris Fashion Week, the aespa members were seen leaving their hotel to attend an after-party. As expected, several fans waited outside the hotel for a chance to greet their favorite stars.
Ningning was seen exiting the hotel, and fans immediately started screaming her name. Surprisingly, Ningning was seen covering her ears as fans yelled her name and rushed towards the car.. Once she was seated, she crossed her arms and covered her ears once more.
At the time, Ningning garnered backlash for looking annoyed at fans. As she is a public figure, netizens believe she should always look grateful to the fans who support her. With that, people accused her of having "celebrity disease."
Which other K-pop idols do you know had this so-called "celebrity disease"? Name them in the comments section below!
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Written by Maria Scott
