It’s widely understood that what makes or breaks a K-pop idol is their fans and/or the support from the community. Supporting an idol in Korea is almost a whole new ball game altogether. If I must, for the lack of better vocabulary, it’s like joining a massive “cult”. Most hardcore fans go all out in supporting their idol –– yes, idol because Korean fans usually only belong to one fandom. That means working a part-time job to buy as many copies of their album they can afford, working around their own schedule to attend screenings, fan signs, fan meetings, concerts, appearances and more.
From a wider perspective, it’s an amazing feat to be able to do all of that for someone that will probably never know of your existence. So what is it that these K-pop idols did for their fans to declare that they’re no longer worth their time and effort?
1. Lee Sungmin (Super Junior)
Sungmin from boy group Super Junior was swept up in a controversy after his marriage was announced through the media. He allegedly has not given proper explanation to his fans about his marriage even when many fans have already asked about it previously. He also supposedly started referring to his wife as “Mimi”, which was a nickname his fans gave him. On June 10 2017, DC Super Junior Gallery officially announced that they would halt their support for him as a celebrity. Sungmin has also withdrawn from Super Junior’s upcoming comeback and his return to showbiz is yet to be confirmed.
2. Park Yoochun (JYJ)
Yoochun from the trio JYJ has been swept up in a similar controversy –– except that he was already caught up with a slew of rumours of illegal sexual solicitation and throwing away a fan’s gift during a fan sign. Till this day, there has been no official confirmation on whether his postponed wedding will be taking place at all. Little is known about the current status about his relationship with his fiancée. As of 17 June 2016, one of JYJ’s biggest fan support groups DC JYJ gallery have announced that they would no longer be supporting him.
3. Moon Heejun (H.O.T)
Moon Heejun is more commonly known as a comedic host in recent times, however he first started out in the pioneer boy group H.O.T. In recent years, he has been swept up in different controversies such as allegedly making absurd requests to fans who showed up at an event. There were also statements that his official fan cafe was thought to be evading taxes as they refused to accept credit cards or provide cash receipts. These issues became especially prominent after his marriage with the former Crayon Pop member, Soyul. As of May 21 2017, DC H.O.T gallery has announced that they will no longer support Moon Heejun’s activities.
The key similarity that is observed in these cases are that the fans want transparency, and they want it the honest truth, presented to them in whole. Many of the international fans have disagreed with the actions of the Korean fans but the truth is many of us will never know what really happened there and then, or if it’s part of a big conspiracy.
What do you think about the decisions of these fans? Would you do the same if you were in their position? Share with us in the comments section below!
Article by: Cass @ KAvenyou
