The 10 biggest K-pop stories of 2019: from BTS success to Sulli and Goo Hara deaths to Burning Sun scandal
- The year of 2019 will be known as one of extremes, as the global dominance of BTS was tempered by the deaths of singers Sulli and Goo Hara
- Scandals surrounding the Burning Sun nightclub and vote-rigging in the Produce 101 TV talent series tarnished K-pop’s image
By Jung Hae-myoung
Like any year, 2019 was full of good and bad news. But when it came to K-pop, the gap between the two extremes was wider than ever before.
A vote-rigging scandal involving a music competition show cast a shadow over the scene, but a surprising revival of the “trot” sound defied the stereotype that Korean music is all about K-pop. Here are the 10 biggest K-pop stories of the year.
The dominant issue in K-pop this year was the Burning Sun scandal, which broke in November 2018 and reverberated throughout all of 2019. The Burning Sun nightclub in southern Seoul, co-owned by BigBang member Seungri, was linked to various crimes: illegal drug use, sexual assault and secretly recorded sex videos. The investigation uncovered a chat room where the sex videos were being shared by members including singer Jung Joon-young, Choi Jong-hoon from K-pop boy band FT Island and a manager of Burning Sun. A court recently sentenced Jung to seven years in prison and Choi to five years.