In the Korean entertainment industry, celebrities always tend to maintain a pure image. But behind the glitzy realm of their professional life, they do have some secrets. Smoking has always been a concern in South Korea. As celebrities are always surrounded by the paparazzi and fans, they sometimes get caught smoking. The defense of celebrities, they have a lot of stress in their life, from hectic shoots, making music to brand deals, so unfortunately, smoking becomes a stress reliever for them. As long as they are not addicted to it, it's somewhat acceptable. Here is the list of the top 10 celebrities who were caught smoking.
1. Taemin (SHINee)
SHINee’s Taemin is an actor, singer, and dancer who debuted in 2008. He was caught in 2014 smoking on a balcony in a paparazzi photo. When the photo went viral, fans were worried about his health and were disappointed as he was ruining his image. Again, in 2017, he was seen smoking vape cigarettes when he was out with BTS’s Jimin, which again stirred controversy.
2. Kim Taehyung (BTS)
BTS’s members are known for their clean image. But everyone is not perfect, BTS’s member Kim Taehyung, who goes by the stage name V, was caught outside the venue of Grammy 2022. As the picture went viral, ARMYs were shocked to see him smoking as he always carried an innocent image. Some showed concerns about his health, while some defended him by saying he is an adult and he has every right to do whatever he wants.
3. Kai (EXO)
Kim Jong In is a member of the K-pop boy band EXO. He goes by the stage name Kai. EXO’s members were also previously engaged in smoking rumors. Soon after Kai and f(x)’s Krystal’s dating rumors after they were spotted in a hotel in Soul, another picture of Kai went viral where he was seen smoking a cigarette in public. The photo was taken when he was shooting the music video for ‘Call Me Baby’ in England. EXO’s fanbase EXOLs were shocked at the revelations. They were furious, saying he was not taking care of his image and was constantly engaging in dating and smoking rumors.
4. Sehun And Tao (EXO)
As of now, almost all the members of EXO are speculated for smoking. Sehun and Tao were first to get caught smoking together in what looked like a lounge. As the photo went viral, EXOLs were shocked and furious. They were in the middle of a smoking controversy where they were bashed for ruining the image of the group and for not taking care of themself. Their agency, SM Entertainment has never openly said anything about the scandal.
5. Jeon Jungkook (BTS)
Even a simplest news involving a BTS member becomes a headline. Recently BTS’s youngest member Jeon Jungkook stirred the internet when a video of him smoking was released by a fan in twitter. This video was taken when he was in the US for his overseas commitments. He was seen outside a resturaunt in Los Angeles smoking a cigerate with a what seemed like a staff member. ARMYs were divided on this video. Some restricted him of smoking and suggested him to give up on it, while others said that he is an adult and has the right to smoke as long as he does not put his health at risk.
6. Lucas (NCT)
Wong Yuk Hei, popularly known as Lucas, debuted as a member of the boy band NCT under SM Entertainment. He was once doing a V live with his other member, and while he was jamming with his members, he accidentally showed a cigarette packet in his hands. When he realized he quickly removed himself from the screen, fans had eagle eyes and were quick to notice the packet. On another occasion, he was interacting with a fan, and while taking a picture, he again showed a pack of cigarettes in his pocket.
7. Kim Soo Hyun
Kim Soo Hyun is a well-known actor in the South Korean entertainment industry. Dispatch once released a picture of Soo Hyun taking a smoke on a balcony. He is quite open about smoking in an interview, he revealed that he can smoke nearly half a packet of cigarettes in a single day. He had also uploaded pictures of him holding a cigarette in his mouth with a cap and oversized glasses on. Surprisingly, Soo Hyun did not get any hate for this picture instead, fans were commenting that he could model for a cigarette brand.
8. Kim Soo Hee
Kim Soo Hee is known for her acting in the drama “The World of The Married” as she portrayed the character of the other women. She gained a lot of popularity through that drama. But with her growing popularity, fans became curious about her past and started to dig in her past. Then they discovered past pictures of Soo Hee smoking with tattoos, for which she got a lot of hate. As of now, she has removed the tattoos and may also have quit smoking.
9. Song Joong Ki
Song Joong Ki is a popular South Korean actor. He is always praised for his acting skills as well as his charming visuals. However, he was in talks when a picture was uploaded of him smoking with some cast and crew members of the movie “Battleship Island” back in 2017. He caused quite a chaos as his fans were worried about him and his health. Some even went to the extent of telling him to quit smoking before his marriage to his now ex-wife Song Hye Kyu.
10. Onew (SHINee)
Lee Jin Ki, who goes by the stage name Onew, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and actor who debuted in the K-pop boy band SHINee. Just after his dating rumors with After School’s Jungah, a picture of him smoking a vape surfaced on the internet, which caused a lot of chaos. Fans were shocked by this as they were used to seeing the clean and innocent image of Onew. Fans showed their concern about his health and were disappointed with him for running his image.
