[Trigger Warning: Mentions of sexual abuse, rape, assault, harassment, and bullying]
Being a celebrity in South Korea isn't easy. With your every action and word being watched and scrutinized by netizens, there is no room for mistakes in your career. Unfortunately, more often than not, many Korean celebrities' careers got ruined after being involved in a scandal. There are also those whose careers almost ended because of someone's malicious intent.
With that, here are some fake scandals that almost cost K-pop idols their career.
1. Seo Jisoo
All of the members of T-ARA greatly suffered after it was rumored that they severely bullied fellow member Hwayoung back in 2012. Netizens soon compiled "proof" of Hwayoung being bullied by her fellow members from past broadcasts, and because of this, T-ARA's reputation significantly dropped. This eventually led the entire group to halt their activities due to the severe backlash they received and resulted in one of the biggest and most known scandals in the K-pop industry.
But after several years, with T-ARA having no activities and losing members, it was soon found that Hwayoung had been the problematic member of the group and that her bullying claims were false. A former manager even spoke up to deny Hwayoung's bullying claims.
5. Soojin
In March 2021, Soojin faced allegations of bullying and school violence when a former classmate accused her of mistreatment during their school years. The accuser claimed that Soojin engaged in various forms of bullying, including physical violence, verbal abuse, and social isolation.
Soojin denied the allegations, saying the facts of the matter were distorted. However, the backlash was immense, especially after actress Seo Shin Ae alluded to being a victim of Soojin's bullying. CUBE Entertainment ultimately had to halt her activities with(G)I-DLE despite the lack of concrete evidence.
She left (G)I-DLE in August 2021 and the company as a whole in March 2022.
However, in September 2022, Soojin's legal representative revealed that The school's Autonomous Committee for School Violence Countermeasures concluded that she was innocent. Rather, they determined that she had been a victim of bullying, and no additional legal actions will be pursued.
After being cleared, Soojin was able to sign with a new company, BRD in October 22023. She made her solo debut in November 2023 with "AGASSY" and is active as an idol again.
6. B.I
In July 2019, iKON's former leader, B.I, was embroiled in a drug scandal. It was reported that he attempted to purchase illegal drugs.
Messages exchanged between B.I and a drug dealer surfaced, revealing his intent to buy LSD and marijuana in 2016.
Following the reports, B.I admitted to the attempt but denied actually using drugs. Following the backlash, he left iKON and terminated his contract with YG Entertainment. He was sentenced to 80 hours of community services and 40 hours of a drug treatment course.
After a year of silence, B.I established his own entertainment company, 131 Label. Due to the love of his fans and the fact he did not actually take drugs, B.I was able to return to the entertainment industry as a soloist and is enjoying a fruitful career.
7. Wonho
It was not just B.I who struggled with drug use allegations in 2019.
In October 2019, Wonho was accused of taking marijuana prior to his debut with MONSTA X. He was also accused of borrowing money from Jung Da Eun, his former classmate on "Ulzzang Shidae."
Though Starship Entertainment denied the allegations, the backlash was immense. He ultimately left MONSTA X and departed from Starship Entertainment.
In March 2020, it was announced that the investigation by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's narcotics team was concluded, and that all the allegations against Wonho regarding drug usage were false. In April, he signed with Highline Entertainment, a subsidiary of Starship Entertainment.
Since then, he has been active as a soloist.
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Written by Robyn Joan
