Being a K-pop star means always having to say you’re sorry.Imagine the South Korean pop machine as a technologically advanced, extremely online version of the old Hollywood studio system.
Idols are expected to maintain a certain standard of behavior, and their transgressions are constantly surveilled and documented.That means that everytime one of the genre’s biggest stars fucks up, or even when they engage in behavior that can be nebulously viewed as a fuckup, they must publicly beg for atonement.
We’ve seen some prominent examples in recent months, and now we’ve got another one.Not long ago, BTS member Suga was caught riding an electric scooter while intoxicated.
He apologized, and then he apologized again for not being sufficiently contrite in his first apology.Blackpink member JENNIE apologized for being filmed vaping indoors in Italy.
Now, another K-pop idol has left his group after serious pressure from fans.His crime: Smoking a cigarette while in bed with a lady.
RIIZE, a boy band assembled by the giant K-pop firm SM Entertainment, haven’t been around for long; they just debuted last year.Shortly after they released their first few singles, a leaked photo showed Seunghan, one of the seven members of RIIZE, in bed with an unidentified woman, smoking a cigarette.
Last year, SM Entertainment said that Seunghan would “halt activities indefinitely” and take a hiatus from RIIZE.The group continued without him.
Last week, as Billboard reported, SM announced that Seunghan would soon return to RIIZE, taking part in their “next chapter.” In response, a scary number of fans had funeral wreaths delivered to SM headquarters, demanding his removal from the group.They got their wish.
As AllKPop reports, Seunghan has shared a fan-written letter apologizing to the world and announcing that he will not return to RIIZE: “I no longer want the fans to experience confusion or pain, nor do I want any more harm to come to the members and the com...