Latest news with #Sulli
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
SVT's Mingyu and S.Coups attend Sulli's ex Choiza's show, triggering boycott calls amid Kim Soo Hyun–Kim Sae Ron scandal
SEVENTEEN members and Mingyu are facing intense backlash following the announcement of their upcoming appearance on Choiza ROAD, a YouTube variety series hosted by rapper Choiza of Dynamic Duo. What was intended as a light-hearted promotional feature has instead sparked controversy, largely due to Choiza's past relationship with the late singer and actress Sulli. Her tragic death has resurfaced in public discourse—especially in light of the recent controversy involving Kim Soo Hyun and the passing of his ex-girlfriend Kim Sae Ron. Both Sulli and Kim Sae Ron have been linked to troubling allegations of exploitation and grooming within the entertainment industry, reigniting conversations about the darker realities faced by young stars. [17'S] 250530 #최자로드#SEVENTEEN #세븐틴 Choiza under fire amid Kim Soo Hyun-Kim Sae Ron scandal Choiza dated Sulli from 2013 to 2017, during which their relationship was often in the media spotlight. While some reported the duo knew each other since she was 15 years old. Some say they only started dating once she became of legal age and was 19-years-old. In particular, he faced criticism in 2015 for the sexually suggestive lyrics in the Dynamic Duo song Eat Do It Sleep from the album Grand Carnival. As someone who still cries every time she talks about her favorite girl, Sulli, I'm sorry, but I cannot support that matter how much I love SEVENTEEN, I will never support any collaboration involving problematic artists. Though never confirmed to be directed at Sulli, many interpreted the lyrics as disrespectful, especially when the actress was facing intense public scrutiny. Allegations of emotional manipulation and inappropriate public commentary during their relationship had further fueled negative sentiment toward Choiza over the years. Now, years later, SEVENTEEN's planned appearance on Choiza's show has reopened old wounds, with fans questioning the appropriateness of idols associating with a figure still linked to unresolved controversies. Why are Mingyu and are facing backlash The backlash has been amplified by the ongoing Kim Soo Hyun–Kim Sae Ron scandal, which has heightened public sensitivity toward celebrity behavior and accountability. Though Sulli and Kim Sae Ron were not known to be personally close, both were linked to actor Kim Soo Hyun through the film Real (2017). Recently, Sulli's brother, Choi Da Hee, made a cryptic social media post naming Kim Sae Ron among others, leading to renewed speculation and drawing further attention to the network of relationships tied to Sulli's tragic story. In this emotionally charged environment, fans argue that SEVENTEEN's appearance on Choiza ROAD is ill-timed and insensitive. Carats call for action The backlash from SEVENTEEN's fandom, known as Carats, has been swift and vocal. While the group recently made a successful return with their album HAPPY BURSTDAY and title track Thunder, fans say the promotional effort is being overshadowed by what they see as a tone-deaf decision. Many have taken to social media to call for a boycott of the episode and are urging PLEDIS Entertainment to cancel the appearance altogether. Critics stress that idols—especially those with large, young fanbases—should not be associated with controversial figures whose past actions remain a source of pain and division in the K-pop community. We do not support the horrible doings that Choiza did to Sulli. Both admins are women before will not be posting MG and SC on that show. As women, it hurts to see that our fave artists are making content with someone who did awful things to a you. I always love you but not by coming to an event where men who are mean to women are still living well without guilty I strongly urge everyone NOT TO WATCH nor SUPPORT THIS! We can love SEVENTEEN and still speak up when something feels wrong. Support them, but say no to working with problematic figures. Stay informed, respectful, and firm.#Protect_SEVENTEEN #Boycott_Choiza_Road PROTECT SEVENTEEN AT ALL COST, CANCEL THE COLLABORATION WITH CHOIZA#SVT #MINGYU #SCOUPS #protectthemhybeandpledis While Choiza and Dynamic Duo remain veterans of the Korean music industry, fans believe that entertainment companies must exercise greater caution and cultural awareness when arranging public appearances. For all the latest K-drama, K-pop, and Hallyuwood updates, keep following our coverage here.
CNA
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Commentary: After high-profile South Korean idol deaths, has the industry changed for the better?
SINGAPORE: It's been close to a decade since the glossy facade of South Korea's entertainment industry cracked under the weight of tragedy. In 2017, SHINee's Kim Jong-hyun died by suicide, followed by f(x)'s Sulli and Kara's Goo Hara in 2019, just six weeks apart. Each time, there were vigils, urgent calls for reform and vows that things would change. Yet, the cycle of loss continued. In 2024, Parasite actor Lee Sun-kyun took his own life after facing a storm of media coverage over a drug investigation. Just months ago, in February, actress Kim Sae-ron did the same after years of public and media backlash over her 2022 charge for driving under the influence. Up until her death, her every move was scrutinised and ridiculed both in the press and on social media. So has anything really changed? NO ESCAPE FROM DISGRACE The K-entertainment industry remains an unforgiving space, where celebrities are expected to present and maintain an impossible standard of moral purity. A single misstep can lead to swift and brutal condemnation from the press, fans and the public at large. Much of this stems from "chemyeon", the Korean concept of saving face. And to lose face is to lose everything. 'Face-saving has been regarded as far more valuable to many Koreans than any other asset, including life itself,' explains Han Seong-yeul, an emeritus psychology professor at Korea University. But public figures are not average individuals – they are extensions of their agencies, their families and even their countrymen. It's deeply embedded into K-entertainment that disgrace must be met with absolute consequences, leaving little room for second chances. Sulli was branded a troublemaker for going braless, speaking openly about feminism and dating freely. Goo Hara was the victim of an abusive ex-boyfriend who blackmailed her with an unreleased intimate video – however, when news of the video's existence became public, she was the one ostracised. Lee Sun-kyun was just one example of a celebrity bearing the brunt of merciless backlash even before wrongdoing is yet proven. Despite eventually testing negative for drugs, the accusations alone were enough to see him blacklisted and his projects cancelled. When reputation and honour are valued above all else, disgrace becomes inescapable. And in many cases, the only perceived way out is death. The rise of social media has only magnified these pressures, becoming modern-day courthouses where public figures are put on trial in real time. Sometimes, these platforms make some effort to curb malicious attacks. After Sulli and Goo Hara's deaths, Naver and Daum disabled comment sections and removed features like 'related search keywords' and real-time trending searches related to individuals, both of which were often used to conduct online smear campaigns. However, the toxicity rarely dissipated. It simply migrated to other platforms like YouTube, Twitter (now X) and Instagram. SOME PROGRESS Still, some progress has been made towards acknowledging mental health as a serious issue rather than a taboo topic. In the past, mental illness was often framed as a personal weakness rather than a legitimate condition, and K-celebrities struggling with depression or anxiety were expected to endure it in silence, much like the generations before them. Nowadays, in reports on celebrity controversies and struggles, many Korean media outlets now explicitly mention depression and anxiety instead of glossing over it as they did before. Some, such as the Chosun Daily and Korea Herald, even include suicide prevention resources in their articles. Perhaps most significantly, K-celebrities have started opening up themselves. BTS's Suga and RM, Epik High's Tablo, and Girls' Generation's Taeyeon have all spoken publicly about battling depression and anxiety. GOT7's Jay B and SHINee's Key have shared their experiences with therapy, while soloist IU has talked about her struggles with burnout. K-entertainers openly discuss their struggles on Get Real, a podcast by Dive Studios, co-founded by singer Eric Nam. Dive later launched Mindset, a self-care and mental wellness app featuring audio stories from local and international artists sharing their own mental health journeys. This has also pushed entertainment agencies to rethink how they support their talent. More companies now publicly acknowledge mental health struggles, and it's becoming more common for idols to take formal hiatuses to focus on their well-being – something that was once unheard of in the industry. HYBE, the agency behind BTS, in 2022 opened the industry's first in-house healthcare centre, offering both mental and physical support to its artists. Other agencies have followed suit, providing access to therapy and counselling for talent, and cracking down on online harassment by taking legal action against malicious commenters. A START – BUT ONLY A START There's a growing awareness that fame and wealth don't shield individuals from mental health challenges. Instead of reacting with scepticism or dismissal, fans are now much more likely to be vocal online with support and encouragement. But these changes only scratch the surface. The industry still lacks structural protections such as unionisation or fixed working hours, leaving artists vulnerable to burnout. While agencies now allow mental health breaks, these are often reactive measures – granted only when an artist is visibly struggling – rather than part of a proactive system designed to prevent crises before they happen. Without deeper reforms, mental health initiatives risk being little more than a public-relations safeguard rather than a true shift in how the industry operates. At the policy level, lawmakers have attempted to introduce legal reforms to protect public figures from cyberbullying, such as the Sulli Act, which sought to require real-name verification for online comments in an effort to curb anonymous hate speech. More recently, Parasite director Bong Joon-ho called for the enactment of 'Sun-kyun's Law' to guard against trial-by-media media practices, including the excessive and often reckless media scrutiny and smears before legal judgment is made. CONDEMNATION VS ACCOUNTABILITY Not all public scrutiny is inherently harmful. Some argue that celebrities like Kim Sae-ron, who was caught driving under the influence and put lives at risk, and actor Yoo Ah-In, found guilty of illegal drug use in 2023, deserve public criticism. But are knee-jerk reactions of condemnation equivalent to true accountability? Public figures wield significant influence, and there is an expectation that they be held accountable for their actions. The issue is that K-fandom – and South Korean public opinion more broadly – often reacts to controversy with little distinction between different types of wrongdoing. A celebrity caught breaking the law can face the same level of vitriolic judgment as one who made a poorly worded remark. Even dating rumours or visible weight gain in celebrities can trigger disproportionate amounts of public outrage. But there's a difference between senseless harassment that turns personal struggles into entertainment and holding public figures accountable for causing real harm and damage. Where is the line between justified criticism and undeserved persecution? Some disgraced celebrities, particularly those with powerful agencies or strong fan support, have managed to stage comebacks, including Big Bang frontman G-Dragon, investigated for drug use in 2011, and actor Kim Seon-ho, embroiled in a personal scandal in 2021. Most, however, are cast out permanently. Even when they take accountability for their missteps – whether by apologising or facing legal consequences – they are rarely afforded a clear path back into the good graces of neither the industry nor the public. If South Korea's entertainment industry is to truly change, there needs to be a middle ground. Celebrities should not be free from criticism, but more care must be taken to ensure that the nature and intensity of public scrutiny upon them is proportionate to the offence. Most importantly, space must be preserved for rehabilitation – or, at the very least, basic compassion. As human beings, we're all flawed. The only two options cannot be perfection or exile.
Korea Herald
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Kim Soo-hyun's 'Real' rides new wave of infamy amid scandal
Korean cinema's notorious box-office bomb finds new viewership as questions about on-set conduct crop up In a memorable scene from the 2017 film "Real," for some time social media meme fodder here, Kim Soo-hyun, dressed in a garish red suit and mask, spins at hyperspeed like a malfunctioning wind-up toy. Glittering, iridescent water cascades across the screen as his enemies inexplicably collapse without him laying a finger on them. This bizarre sequence epitomizes a film now catching a second wind amid an endless barrage of controversies surrounding its embattled star. As of Tuesday, "Real" -- a surrealist noir thriller starring Kim opposite late K-pop star and actor Sulli --ranked second on Netflix's Top 10 films in South Korea and broke into trending charts on local streaming platforms Tving and Coupang Play, an ironic comeback for a film once written off as among Korean cinema's greatest disasters. This renewed interest comes as Kim finds himself mired in allegations that he dated the late actor Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor. With the controversy ongoing, Sulli's family members have stepped forward with their own grievances. On Friday, they put out a statement to local media seeking answers about troubling aspects of Sulli's intimate scenes in the film, claiming these sequences weren't included in the original script and that a body double, though present on set, wasn't used as planned. The situation heated up when Lee Jung-seob, the film's original director who got replaced during production, broke his silence on social media, stating he "had absolutely zero responsibility for how that film turned out." Kim's agency, Gold Medalist, has only briefly mentioned that they are "currently looking into the situation." A Troubled Production From its inception, "Real" was a project plagued by complications. The film drummed up substantial buzz even before hitting screens, reportedly working with an impressive 11.5 billion won ($8.6 million) budget with investment flowing in from China's Alibaba Pictures. The film marked Kim Soo-hyun's return after a two-year break following his star-making turns in television hits "My Love from the Star" (2014) and "The Producer" (2015). The project also turned heads as Sulli's first major film role after leaving K-pop group f(x) in 2015 to focus on acting. Marketing materials put her participation in intimate scenes front and center, with promotional interviews openly stressing the absence of a body double in certain scenes -- a level of emphasis industry watchers found unusual for mainstream Korean cinema. Meanwhile, cameos from big names, including Suzy, Park Seo-junand Ahn So-hee further stoked anticipation. Behind the scenes, however, roadblocks kept popping up. Originally set for simultaneous release in Korea and China, overseas distribution plans fell apart following economic retaliation from the Chinese government against South Korean firms after the deployment of a US missile system here. More troublingly, director Lee Jung-seob was abruptly shown the door mid-production due to alleged "creative differences." His replacement was Lee Sa-rang (now Lee Ro-be), Kim Soo-hyun's cousin and now head of his management firm, Gold Medalist. He reportedly had no prior directing experience. Critical and commercial disaster The resulting film bombed spectacularly upon release. Critics and audiences panned it, handing it a measly 39 percent rating on multiplex chain CGV's website and just 4.44 out of 10 from viewers on Naver. The film quickly earned its place as a modern classic of bad movies in contemporary Korean cinema, with clips of its most bewildering action sequences making the rounds on social media as objects of ridicule. At its core, "Real" stumbles through fundamental narrative confusion. The convoluted plot about a casino owner's psychological struggle with his doppelganger never comes together into something ordinary viewers can remotely grasp. Visually, the film throws in neon-drenched settings and disorienting camera work that feels more like a skincare commercial than cinema. The action sequences laugh in the face of physics, while the dialogue often bears no relation to the scenes before or after it. Viewers particularly took issue with the film's problematic portrayal of women. Many pointed to how female characters appear primarily as decorative elements, with little agency or purpose beyond serving as objects of sexual desire before meeting untimely ends. The explicit scenes, particularly those involving Sulli, kicked up immediate controversy upon release, with public criticism falling as much on the actor as on the production itself. Broader industry concerns The rekindled controversy may point to structural issues within Korean cinema regarding actor protections during intimate scenes. Han Ji-eun, another actor who appeared in "Real," opened up in a 2018 interview about her significant emotional distress during filming. Despite beating out 4,300 candidates after spotting a casting notice from Kim Soo-hyun himself, Han pointed out she had no one to turn to during difficult scenes. Most of her footage wound up strpped from the final film, leaving primarily her explicit scenes on screen -- an experience she described as causing "serious after-effects." Unlike the US, where actors' union guidelines set clear protocols for filming intimate content, South Korea lacks formal industry standards protecting performers. The country's main legal framework for film industry regulation, the Promotion of the Motion Pictures and Video Products Act, states in Article 3 that "when concluding contracts with film workers, specific details regarding wages, working hours and other working conditions must be disclosed." However, the catch-all term "working conditions" doesn't address the specific concerns of actors performing intimate scenes and often leaves them unknowing of how their footage will be used. In 2018, former Democratic Party lawmaker In Jae-keun put forward an amendment to specify "matters related to body exposure scenes, including exposed body parts, scene intentions and filming methods" under the clause. This amendment, however, never passed, and the legislation remains in place without these protections.
