Why is the K-pop bullying scandal blowing up now and what will become of it?
- In recent days, Seventeen’s Mingyu, Monsta X’s Kihyun, (G)-Idle’s Soojin and Stray Kids’ Hyunjin have all been labelled bullies by former classmates
- Stars and their companies have denied allegations, although several have issued apologies and spoken with the alleged victims
Barely a day has passed during the past few weeks without a new K-pop star being accused of bullying when they were young.
Seventeen’s Mingyu, Monsta X’s Kihyun, (G)-Idle’s Soojin and Stray Kids’ Hyunjin are just some of the young South Korean celebrities who have been labelled bullies by former classmates in recent days, while other young South Korean athletes and entertainers face similar accusations.
As February progressed, several K-pop stars came under fire as purported schoolmates posted allegations of bullying on social media. Other reports have also emerged occasionally in previous years, alleging negative behaviour by celebrities either at school or in the workplace.
“It’s hard to say where it started, but there is definitely a [rise] in these cases,” said Yonghoon Lee, an assistant professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology who specialises in organisational behaviour. “I think there’s a bit of a social movement element as people learn and share more accusations.”