The Sensational Fandom – The achievements of the South Korean entertainment industry have shaken the global stage, especially through the phenomenon of K-pop. Idols and music groups originating from the land of ginseng have successfully captured the attention of the entire world, building fan communities familiarly referred to as “fandoms.”
Fandoms, or fan clubs, are communities formed by fans of a group or idol with the goal of providing support and love to those they admire.
However, what if a paradox occurs and fandoms become involved in conflicts or disputes with their idols themselves? Here are five fandom conflicts that have garnered the most attention in the South Korean entertainment industry.
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1. IKONIC and YG Entertainment
First, the conflict that arose was not between the fandom and their idols, but between the fandom and the agency managing those idols.
In 2017, iKONIC, the fandom name for iKON, decided to boycott YG Entertainment. This was done because they believed that YG Entertainment had been negligent and irresponsible in managing the iKON group.
It is noted that iKONIC sent a request consisting of 18 pages through letters, emails, faxes, and social media as a form of protest.
This conflict finally ended after an apology from Yang Hyun Suk, the CEO of YG Entertainment, as well as an official statement to the media that iKON would be more active by releasing new songs and albums in the near future.
2. ELF and Sungmin (Super Junior)
The initial dispute began when Sungmin became entangled in a dating scandal involving musical star Kim Sa Eun.
Through news reports, fans of Super Junior, known as ELF, learned about the scandal. However, Sungmin did not provide any explanation about the incident.
Not long after, his marriage plans were revealed. This time, ELF was confused because the wedding date coincided with the period of Super Junior’s promotions and concerts in Japan.
Due to the lack of clear communication, the ELF community in Korea initiated a boycott against Sungmin and launched a petition as a form of protest. Unexpectedly, this petition gained significant support from other fans.
The controversy arising from this situation led Sungmin to take a hiatus that continues to the present day.
3. Yellowkies and Ko Ji Young (former member of Sechs Kies)
In 2000, the boy group Sechs Kies announced their disbandment. However, in 2016, they took a step forward by reuniting in the program “Infinite Challenge,” although one member, Ko Ji Young, chose not to join the reunion.
Ko Ji Young made this decision to focus on his developing business. However, Yellowkies, formerly known as D.S.Fs and the fanbase of Sechs Kies, found that Ko Ji Young was using the fan base of the group for the marketing of his company.
Upon discovering this fact, Yellowkies decided to boycott Ko Ji Young and firmly requested YG Entertainment, the agency that used to manage Sechs Kies, to remove Ko Ji Young’s name from the list of Sechs Kies members in Korean search engines, as an official action on their part.
4. Club H.O.T and Moon Hee Jun (H.O.T)
In May 2017, Club H.O.T, the fan club name for H.O.T, initiated a petition campaign with the goal of withdrawing all support previously given to Moon Hee Jun.
The H.O.T member was accused of disrespecting fans, providing false information to the public, organizing substandard concerts, speaking negatively about other members and the group in public, and evading tax obligations through the sale of products.
In response to the petition, Moon Hee Jun eventually acknowledged his mistakes and issued an apology for his actions.
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5. EXO-L and Chen (EXO)
In January 2020, unexpectedly, Chen of the group EXO announced his marriage plans and the news that his fiancée was pregnant.
Although many fans fully supported Chen’s decision, there were also fans who opposed it.
After news of his marriage surfaced, about 15 EXO fan sites were closed as a protest against Chen’s decision.
A fan group known as EXO-L ACE emerged with demands for the agency to remove Chen from EXO.
EXO-L ACE argued that Chen’s actions had damaged the group’s reputation due to what was perceived as a selfish decision. Two protest actions were carried out by EXO-L ACE, one in front of the COEX area and the other in Chen’s hometown. However, ultimately, more EXO-L fans expressed their desire to keep Chen as a member of the group.
Those were five of the most heated conflicts between fans and idols, as well as agencies, in the history of the K-pop industry.
SOURCE: Korea Boo
