K-pop artists face the injunction of celibacy, innocence and chastity

South Korean singer and dancer Karina, star of the K-pop group Asepa, is accused of “betrayal” by her fans for having entered into a romantic relationship. A behavior perceived as a real affront.

Karina, star of the group Asepa, is the latest example in a long series of K-pop stars falling victim to the industry’s morals and impossible standards, as labels seek to produce the perfect idol.

His career would be “damn”according to admirers, one of whom is indignant: “Aren’t you getting enough love from your fans?” “Apologize, or you’ll see your album sales plummet and concert halls empty”, demanded an admirer, going so far as to send a truck with an electronic billboard to carry his message in front of the premises of Karina’s agency.

In response to the attacks, girl band star Aespa released an obsequious, hand-written letter to “sincerely apologize to the fans”, early March. “An idol is supposed to be emotionally available,” summarizes for AFP Stephanie Choi, K-pop expert at the Asian Research Institute at the University of Buffalo in the United States. “Innocence and chastity” are de rigeur for these young women who often entered the music sector as teenagers, and it can be difficult for them to let go of these expectations.

Exhausting professional standards

Western teenage singers, such as Britney Spears or Miley Cyrus, also received their share of public criticism when they became adults. But K-pop norms make this transition particularly complex for South Korean stars.

Fans tear down “important voluntary work” for groups, by promoting their music or by voting en masse in competitions, recalls to AFP Keung Yoon Bae, professor of Korean studies at the American University Georgia Institute of Technology.

In return, they hope to see their idols respect “exhausting professional standards” even in their private lives, says Keung Yoon Bae, adding that young women are more vulnerable. “Purity and girliness remain important representations and unfortunately, they can backfire on idols when it is discovered that they are dating, drinking or smoking.”

“I’m 32 and have a girlfriend”

In the early 2000s, before K-pop became a global phenomenon, having a romantic relationship was generally unthinkable for music hopefuls. Boy band God member Park Joon-hyung cried at a press conference in 2001 after his agency asked him to leave the group. The reason ? He was in a romantic relationship, according to media reports.

“If I’m guilty of anything, it’s meeting someone I love,” declared the artist. “I’m 32, OK? I, Park Joon-hyung, am 32 and have a girlfriend,” he continued, with tears in his eyes.

Deviations allowed for established stars

Over time, public expectations have become less pressing and many stars like IU, Sooyoung from the group SNSD (Girls’ Generation), Jiyeon and BoA have confirmed to the press that they are in a relationship.

Having someone in your life, however, remains a privilege reserved for well-established stars. New sensations, like Karina, are discouraged from dating anyone for fear of ruining their popularity. “The idea or possibility of dating a K-pop star is used as a marketing strategy,” said Jeff Benjamin, columnist for Billboard, to AFP.

Let the admirers believe that “one of them could, perhaps, go out with the idol, as improbable as it may seem”, this is one of the ways to make these rising stars profitable, underlines the specialist.

“You are a product”

Many K-pop stars begin rigorous dance and singing training as teenagers, when they are forbidden from having relationships. Recently, several big names in the industry have denounced the loneliness from which these talents suffer. “It’s really difficult”, testified Jennie, from the ultra-popular girl band BLACKPINK in a Netflix documentary. “We weren’t allowed to drink, smoke or have tattoos” during the training period, recounted the artist, treated as “good for nothing” at that time.

Singer Sulli, who committed suicide in 2019 at age 25, also underwent intensive training for around four years, before making her debut at age 15 with the group f(x). In a biographical documentary released in 2023, she explains that at 20, she only wanted two things: “see a psychiatrist and date.”

Her relationship with Choiza, a rapper 14 years her senior, revealed at that age and other actions that did not conform to expectations, such as not wearing a bra in public, earned her cyberbullying campaigns. “When I first started in the entertainment business, there was one thing people always told me,” she relates in the documentary: “You are a product. You must behave like the finest, highest quality product for the public.”