FILE PHOTO: Seungri , a member of South Korean K-pop band Big Bang, arrives to be questioned over a sex bribery case at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul, South Korea, March 14, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo
While the industry mostly projects a wholesome image on stage and screen, a series of scandals, public personal breakdowns and untimely celebrity deaths this year has drawn attention to the darker side of the culture. June: Yang Hyun-suk, founder of YG Entertainment, which managed Seungri and other K-pop artists, stepped down from his duties as chief producer, in the aftermath of drug and sex scandals.
November: K-pop singer Koo Hara was found dead in her home. Police found a handwritten note in which she expressed despair. She had been subjected to vicious attacks online about her relationships with men, local media said.
Wasn’t the original main selling point of K-Pop that its stars were beyond reproach and were paragons of virtue as opposed to transitional music stars. Was this all a lie to sell over produced pop music to the masses?