South Korean fans have a reputation for demanding clean personal records from their heroes. When stars are involved in nasty divorces, drunk driving, bullying, or other scandals, it's not uncommon for the companies they promote to cut connections with them abruptly, or for the TV shows they star in to replace them. Even if the claims aren't true, businesses take great measures to prevent damage and distance themselves from any unwanted perceptions.
1. Seo Ye-Ji
The It's Okay Not to Be Okay actress's reputation has recently been tainted by a string of scandals, including allegations of school bullying and staff abuse, among other things. Although Seo skipped the film's press conference, box office sales for her most recent effort Recalled, which opened in Korean local theatres this week, appear to be doing well. According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, Seo will be replaced in the forthcoming drama Island. She has also lost endorsement relationships with brands such as Inner Flora, Aer, Luna, and Rieti, all of whom specialise in health and beauty.
2. Ji Soo
The tall, dark, and gorgeous leading actor has recently made news for school bullying and sexual harassment allegations. As a result, he was forced to abandon River When the Moon Rises, in which he was the leader, while it was still in progress. Soompi claims that the drama production firm is suing him and his agency for damages totaling 3 billion won (US$2.7 million).
3. April’s Naeun
The K-pop sensation was also accused of bullying at school and by a bandmate. She eventually left the cast of SBS' Taxi Driver, with her scenes being reshot by her replacement.
4. AOA’s Seolhyun
Rather than being accused of being a bully, this time the charges are that of being a passive bystander and a facilitator. Mina, an ex-member of AOA, accused bandmate Jimin of mistreating her for years, alleging that Seolhyun was aware of it but did nothing to stop it. Despite requests for her to be cut from Day and Night, the singer-actress kept her role, but her reputation has been ruined; her latest video interview with Vogue was panned by fans and was later removed from the magazine's YouTube page.
5. TVXQ’s Yunho
The renowned K-pop star was accused of going to an illegal escort club and breaking the Covid-19 social distancing laws. Following the scandal, food production companies Ottogi and food delivery app Yogiyo withdrew him from their commercials.
6. Ahn Jae-Hyun
In 2019, the actor divorced Koo Hye-sun, who played Koo Hye-sun in the film Boys Over Flowers. His endorsements with labels like Merbliss and Giordano were cancelled as a result of the public and chaotic processes. In addition, he was fired from the variety show New Journey to the West.
7. Song Joong-Ki
The actor and his Descendants of the Sun co-star Song Hye-kyo called it quits in one of the most painful Hallyu divorces. Brands reportedly ceased signing deals with the actor after he was widely chastised for his participation in the break-up.
8. Bigbang’s Seungri
For a few years, Seungri was the only active member of BigBang, thus she focused on solo promotional activities including appearing on variety shows and embarking on overseas tours in 2018. That same year, he signed his first solo sponsorship deal, becoming the Korean face of Tinder. However, in 2019, he became embroiled in the Burning Sun incident, which was one of the greatest sex, drugs, and corruption scandals in recent K-pop history. He is no longer working in the entertainment sector.
9. AOA Mina
According to koreaboo, former AOA member Mina came out to the public in July 2020 to explain that she had been bullied while in the Kpop group AOA. She wrote a lot of blogs at the time about how her bandmate Jimin used to harass her while they were in the same band. Jimin, on the other hand, denied any such occurrences. Jimin left AOA as well as the entertainment sector as a result of the charges, which tarnished her reputation. Mina had previously chastised FNC Entertainment and her fellow bandmates for failing to intervene when she was being bullied.
10. Kim Hyun Joong
The incident began in August 2014, when reports surfaced of Kim Hyun Joong's then-girlfriend filing assault charges against him, providing a description of an abusive relationship with surprising proof to back up her claims. While the Internet debated who to believe, his agency issued an official statement acknowledging the couple's relationship and clarifying that the incident was an unfortunate one-time occurrence caused by a verbal quarrel. They even addressed her damaged ribs, which they said were caused by an accident while the couple was laughing about.
