K-pop’s biggest divas? From Red Velvet member Irene and Jeon So-mi, to Lee Hyori and Sechs Kies’ Kang Sung-hoon dissing BtoB – 6 idols who came under fire for their inflated egos

Nov 24 , 2021

K-pop idols Kang Sung-hoon from Seckskies, Jeon So-mi and Red Velvet’s Irene have all come under fire for their diva attitudes. Photos: @kang.s.h.0222, @somsomi0309, @renebaebae/Instagram

Korean stylist Kang Kook-hwa indirectly accused Irene of bullying in an Instagram post, while former I.O.I member Jeon So-mi admitted to having the ‘celebrity disease’

Kang Sung-hoon of 90s boy band Sechs Kies called today’s stars ‘ugly’ in a YouTube clip and made a snobby comment about affluent neighbourhood Cheongdam-dong

For celebrities – especially those in the South Korean entertainment industry where fan culture is another level of intense – it can be easy to become caught up in one’s popularity and develop an inflated ego. Although it might be impossible for fans to fully grasp a star’s true character, sometimes the mask slips and they offer glimpses through candid interviews and social media posts. Other times, they end up embroiled in scandal and controversy.

Here are just a handful of Korean stars who have been called out for diva behaviour in the past.

Jeon So-mi

It might be hard to imagine the beloved soloist and former I.O.I member being anything but a sweetheart, but she recently opened up in an interview on variety show MMTG and admitted she once had the “celebrity disease”. The 20-year-old claimed to have caught the bug after debuting in I.O.I and subconsciously expecting people to take care of her. She said, “I thought it was natural for other people to take care of me. I didn’t know that there would be a difference between asking for favours and saying ‘do this for me’.”

Jeon So-mi opened up in an interview on MMTG. Photo: MMTG

According to the interview, she only realised the extent of her attitude once rumours started circulating that she doesn’t bow to her seniors – which is incredibly disrespectful in Korean culture. Whether it was true or not, the rumour forced her to reflect on her behaviour, which in turn “cured” her of the “disease”.

Lee Hyori

The long-reigning queen of K-pop, Lee Hyori has also had her fair share of diva moments. Though she’s grown from the experience now, she fully admitted to her “celebrity disease” in the past. According to Donga Ilbo, during promotions for her song Ten Minutes in 2003, she was once 30 minutes late to a press conference. She admitted during an appearance on talk show Healing Camp, Aren’t You Happy that she didn’t even greet or apologise to the staff, which actually led around 30 to 40 reporters to shut off their cameras in protest. At the time, the singer only internally blamed others, even thinking, “I’m Lee Hyori, why should I apologise?”