Okay-pop star Karina and Lee Jae-wook: Why has relationship ended following accusations of betrayal by music star’s followers? | Ents & Arts Information

“Is the like to you by your followers not sufficient? Why did you select to betray the followers? Please apologise immediately. In any other case, you will notice a lower in album gross sales and empty live performance seats.”

This was the message pushed, on an digital signal, to the headquarters of SM Leisure in Seoul, South Korea, in line with media studies within the nation.

Why? The corporate fashioned and manages Okay-pop band Aespa, of which singer Karina is a member; this was the response after it emerged she was in a relationship with actor Lee Jae-wook.

Karina rapidly printed a picture of a handwritten observe, apologising for disappointing her followers and promising to “heal the injuries”.

Now, simply a few weeks later, their break-up has been introduced. SM Leisure confirmed the break up to Sky Information, however didn’t remark.

Only some days earlier than this, South Korean actors Han So-hee and Ryu Jun-yeol reportedly introduced their separation, simply two weeks after publicly acknowledging their relationship.

In fact, superstar {couples} break up on a regular basis, and there are music stars from everywhere in the world whose followers can typically take issues too far in terms of their love for his or her idols.

In 2022, Harry Kinds and his then girlfriend Olivia Wilde addressed “poisonous negativity” directed at her from a small nook of his fanbase. Final 12 months, Taylor Swift reportedly informed the group at a present in Minneapolis that followers shouldn’t “really feel the necessity to defend me on the web towards somebody you suppose I might need written a track about 14 million years in the past”.

However whereas diehard followers can overreact to relationships and splits, within the Okay-pop world there may be additionally controversy across the messaging put out by administration, with companies reportedly eager to advertise their stars, referred to as idols, as romantically obtainable.

UK Okay-pop knowledgeable Felicity Davies, from SOAS (College of Oriental and African Research) College of London, is writing a PhD on the business and its fandoms, and says it is not uncommon to listen to of strict courting guidelines and even courting bans inside the business.

She factors out examples of how going public with romantic relationships has labored out for some Okay-pop idols, corresponding to Blackpink star Jisoo and actor Ahn Bo-hyun – studies they have been courting emerged in August final 12 months and the break up was introduced in October – and fellow Blackpink star Jennie and Exo boyband member Kai. His bandmate, Chen, is married with youngsters.

“Nonetheless, there does actually appear to be quite a lot of strain on artists to stay as clear lower as potential and to not be caught doing something that would probably be seen as ‘scandalous’, and infrequently courting has appeared to return beneath this ‘scandalous’ label,” she says. However there is not “one unified manner all Okay-pop companies appear to strategy this”, she provides.

In 2018, the inventory of report label Dice Leisure dropped a number of factors after two of their artists, Hyuna and E’Daybreak, started courting. It led to them each being faraway from the company’s roster.

“They quickly signed with P Nation, an company that takes no concern with courting, they usually have been in a position to proceed with their careers within the music business for a number of years whereas publicly collectively, even releasing duets at occasions,” Felicity says. “Totally different companies have completely different approaches.”

The origins of recent Okay-pop date again to the Nineteen Nineties, however maybe the largest turning level for Western audiences got here from the unlikely supply of South Korean rapper Psy and his single Gangnam Type.

Launched in July 2012, by December of that 12 months it had change into the primary YouTube video to succeed in one billion views.

Since then, the style has developed and change into a multibillion-dollar business, making worldwide stars of boybands corresponding to BTS and lady teams like Blackpink. In 2019, BTS turned the primary ever Korean act to attain a UK primary album, with Map Of The Soul: Persona – which additionally turned their third Billboard primary album in lower than a 12 months within the US. In addition they offered out Wembley in 90 minutes.

BTS introduced a hiatus in 2022, with a number of members now endeavor necessary navy duties, however there are nonetheless loads of acts filling charts all over the world, together with Stray Youngsters, Fifty Fifty and NewJeans.

Final 12 months, 35 completely different Okay-pop albums entered the Billboard 200, and 5 topped the chart.

The fandoms are big – however not all followers have such excessive reactions to romantic relationships.

Regardless of the backlash she has confronted for her relationship with Lee Jae-wook, a lot of Karina’s followers have been supportive.

The truth is, trying on the response to her Instagram publish, which has obtained greater than 2.6 million likes, the overwhelming majority have referred to as out her have to apologise. “Apologise for loving somebody?” one wrote. “You do not want to do that, you should be blissful.”

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Felicity says that whereas there are nonetheless restrictions, Okay-pop stars have extra freedom now than they did 15 years in the past.

“I do additionally suppose that if the ‘anti-dating’ followers proceed to change into extra extensively recognised because the inappropriate exception, and the much less bothered ones the anticipated norm, business restrictions in the direction of courting will proceed to ease much more,” she says. “Hopefully to the purpose the place idols will be capable to date freely with out worry of such detrimental reactions.”

However she provides: “Nonetheless, because the scenario with Karina and Lee Jae-wook reveals, we’re not fairly there but.”