4 rising Korean stars whose careers crumbled overnight, from Kim Seon-ho of Netflix’s Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and Crash Landing on You’s Kim Jung-hyun, to NCT idol Lucas Wong

Nov 2 , 2021

Korean celebrities Kim Ji-soo, Kim Seon-ho and NCT’s Lucas Wong have all been rocked by scandals recently. Photos: @actor_jisoo, @seonho_kim, @lucas_xx444/Instagram

Kim Seon-ho was accused of forcing an ex-girlfriend to have an abortion, but his ads with mask brand Miima were restored on YouTube after further reports surfaced

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay star Seo Ye-ji allegedly ‘controlled’ Kim Jung-hyun, who refrained from romantic scenes with co-star Seohyun in K-drama The Time

The Korean entertainment industry is a tough world. You can rise to fame overnight – or lose everything in just one day.

In Hollywood, sometimes celebrity scandals are viewed as simply another form of entertainment and controversy can even end up promoting the star in question. But in K-biz, celebrities mired in controversy often face harsh consequences.

Many Korean stars, including Kim Seon-ho, have faced controversy at the peak of their careers. Photo: @seonho_kim/Instagram

South Korean celebrities are closely judged and scrutinised by the public and their careers can quickly disintegrate after scandals, which can end up damaging their co-stars, bandmates and production teams as well.

So which K-drama and K-pop stars are facing scandals this year, and will their careers be able to survive the media storm?

Kim Seon-ho

The spotlight is shining on Kim Seon-ho these days. The recent hit K-drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha catapulted him to A-list status, with multiple upcoming projects including Sad Tropical, Dog Days and 2 O’clock Date.

But right before the Netflix series ended, the 35-year-old’s ex-girlfriend accused him of forcing her to have an abortion and badmouthing his colleagues in an anonymous post. The incident sparked public outrage, causing the cancellation of a press event, according to AllKpop. After he apologised to his ex-girlfriend, he was dropped from the variety show 2 Days & 1 Night and he stepped down from the films Dog Days and 2 O’Clock Date, according to News 18. Many brands also stopped advertisements featuring the Start-Up actor, according to the same source.

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