K-pop sex and drugs scandals are damaging its squeaky-clean image

With wholesome looks and increasingly global fanbases, K-pop has sold its stars as the ultimate squeaky-clean pin-ups. But a burgeoning sex scandal in the industry shows how pervasive discrimination and abuse are in South Korean society, activists say.

In the space of just several days, singer-songwriter Jung Joon-young, BigBang boy band member Seungri and Yong Jun-hyung from the boy band Highlight have announced their retirements from show business.

Jung, 30, admitted filming himself having sex and sharing the footage without his partners’ consent, while Seungri – real name Lee Seung-hyun – is embroiled in a sex-for-investment criminal investigation. All three were members of the same chat room where Jung and others shared illicit content involving at least 10 women, according to broadcaster SBS.

South Korea has been battling a growing epidemic of so-called molka, or spycam videos – mostly of women, secretly filmed by men. But K-pop stars generally cultivate clean-cut images, and are actively promoted by the South Korean government as a key cultural export.

Many face tremendous pressure to look and behave perfectly in an industry powered by so-called “fandoms” – groups of well-organised admirers at home and abroad who spend enormous amounts of time and money to help their favoured stars climb up the charts and attack their perceived rivals.