THIS YEAR alone, around 11 K-pop idols have been accused of bullying classmates during their school years. Bullying accusations come from online forums such as Nate Pan[1], where posters accuse idols anonymously to protect themselves from backlash from fans. The posters’ anonymity, however, means that their claims are hard to prove and sometimes completely false. These accusations have directly and indirectly damaged idols’ careers. While bullying should be condemned, idols who have been accused and not yet found guilty should not lose their livelihoods.

The consequences

   Most entertainment companies—when their idols are faced with school bullying accusations—will attempt to meet with the poster, other classmates, and teachers to determine the truth of the statements. This process, however, takes months and can negatively impact accused idols; they are often punished prematurely by being put on hiatus, unable to defend themselves publicly or work to earn money. This was the case when an online poster accused Seventeen’s Kim Min-gyu of bullying, leading to more accusations from anonymous posters, including a mistranslated post accusing him of sexual assault. This was a serious accusation that held no truth, but Min-gyu’s innocence remained unproven for months of hiatus while Pledis Entertainment “verified his character[2].” 

   Idols rely heavily on their image to succeed in the entertainment industry, and their reputation is strongly linked to their livelihood. Idols’ companies and fans have high standards for them to live up to their flawless image. When they fail to do so due to bullying accusations, they often lose their job and can suffer financial burdens from lost brand endorsements. (G)-Idle’s Seo Soo-jin was accused of bullying in February[3]. After a month of initial investigation, Soo-jin released a comprehensive statement admitting to underage smoking and drinking but refuted all the bullying accusations in detail. Despite her efforts to defend herself, Cube Entertainment announced that she was leaving the company and her group after five additional months of hiatus. Soo-jin, and Stray Kids’ Hwang Hyun-jin—who faced a similar bullying accusation—met further difficulties when makeup brand Clio Cosmetics and their subsidiary brand Peripera dropped them from their ad campaigns. Clio Cosmetics removed them from their advertisements and considered suing the idols for model fees and advertising royalties due to the negative effect of their bullying scandals on sales[4]. 

Idols are human too

   Oftentimes, idols going through bullying allegations also experience mental distress from online hate comments. For instance, Yun Seo-bin, an idol trainee a part of the famous TV program Produce X 101 in 2019, was accused of bullying and photos of him drinking and smoking in high school were released after the first episode aired. As a result, his company, JYP Entertainment, terminated their contract with him and he was immediately dismissed from Produce X 101, without further investigating the validity of the accusations. Seo-bin apologized for his behavior and the harm he caused, but added, “I cannot even go on the internet or meet people. Thinking about what I can do now, I think that the public will not see me positively even if I do anything[5].” Both his mental state and personal life were affected by the scandal, despite some teachers and classmates stepping forward to testify for his character. 

   Most of the bullying accusations idols face pertain to their middle or high school years; a time when arguments and fights amongst teenagers are commonplace. While their naivete does not make bullying excusable, the idols may not have been aware of the effects of their words and actions at the time. Despite being proven “not-guilty,” Min-gyu said in a statement, “regardless of my thoughts or my recollection of past events, it was still possible to cause distress to a person through unintended actions[6].” These kinds of reflections demonstrate how an idol can come to terms with their past behavior and work to make amends. Idols who show initiative in meeting with accusers to understand them and reflect on the situation should be forgiven by the public. Especially since in many cases, accusations are not posted with the purpose of achieving justice for the victim, but rather with the intention to ruin the idol’s life and career. 

   Not every idol is a good person, but they deserve the benefit of the doubt when accused of bullying during their school years. Cases of physical and mental abuse should yield strong consequences for guilty idols, but thorough and timely investigations should be conducted to assess the situation and determine whether the idols are guilty or not before they are “cancelled.” 

[1] Nate Pan: Online forum website where anonymous posters can write posts and receive comments
[2] Soompi
[3] South China Morning Post
[4] KBIZoom News
[5] Ilgan Sports
[6] Pledis Entertainment