Sex and drugs scandals taint K-pop’s clean-cut image – and test fans’ devotion

K-pop world has been rocked by some of the industry's biggest names being charged with sexual abuse and illegally recording sexual activities

More than 200,000 people have signed a petition to the presidential office demanding a full-scale investigation into the revelations

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Seungri, a member of K-pop boy band Big Bang, is surrounded by reporters as he enters the Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul in March, for questioning on suspicions that he solicited sexual favours for his business partners. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 2:30am, 1 Aug 2019Updated: 4:09am, 1 Aug 2019

Fallen idols, anguished victims, betrayed fans and ruined careers. That’s just the toll so far as sex scandals rock the glossy world of K-pop, South Korea’s powerhouse cultural export.

Some of the industry’s biggest names have been charged in recent months with drugging and raping women and running a prostitution racket. Most of those accused have denied the allegations.

But that hasn’t stemmed the shock. K-pop fans – many of them teenage girls – are boycotting their former heroes in what has become the South Korean version of #MeToo. More than 200,000 people have signed a petition to the presidential office demanding a full-scale investigation.

The drip feed of dishonour is forcing South Koreans to abandon long-held assumptions about their home-grown music industry – which built a global fan base around its boyish stars and their carefully cultivated, clean-cut image.

Seungri announced his retirement in March because of the investigation.

“I couldn’t believe my star boy exploited women in such a lurid and degrading manner,” says Cho Yeon-joo, who once admired K-pop group Big Bang and skipped school to attend its concerts. Reports of sex crimes by Big Bang singer Lee Seung-hyun have ended her decade-long love for the band, she says. Lee has denied the allegations.