A toxic relationship between fans and celebrities has been amplified in the media following disputes between international and local fans of K-pop group RIIZE after Seunghan’s return was cut short. Seunghan had left originally because of a suspension following local outrage when images resurfaced of a high school relationship before his K-pop career. Now returning a year later, local fans began sending funeral wreaths with Seunghan’s face to the owner company SM Entertainment, locally recognized as similar to death threats due to the connotation of sending a funeral wreath of a living person. SM Entertainment has placed Seunghan on a long-term break until further notice, and international fans have begun to show outrage at the sense of ownership Korean fans have taken over the stars’ lives.
A toxic culture has risen around K-pop with an unwritten and unspoken rule of no dating being allowed, affecting many K-pop stars’ lives and even being the ultimate reason bands break up. One example is from group EXO, with member Chen announcing his engagement back in 2020 with fans to this day harassing him, his now wife, and company for not forcing him out of the group. Fans online have explained why they do this with the idea they ‘do not pay to see them date girls’, following the idea because they buy products they are paying for everything in a star’s life, therefore owning the star.
International fans have taken online to call out SM Entertainment’s lack of pushback against bad treatment of their stars as well as Korean fans for taking borderline abusive control over people they don’t personally know. A petition put up on Change.org has since Tuesday gained 300K signatures from fans around the world to bring Seunghan back, as well as others considering further pushes on K-pop companies to prioritize members over fans’ delusions. Korean fans have attempted to push against international fans claiming they do not understand the culture, and they should step out of the K-pop world due to it.
Overall this year seems to have marked a year of people realizing celebrities are people with their own lives and boundaries. With the large conflicts over Chappell Roan ousting fans for stalking her and her family, as well as forcibly grabbing her for pictures, a change has occurred. Along with this change, many past situations have resurfaced with a new perspective from fans, RIIZE’s scenario being no different. People do not stop having rights when their names become known, and that needs to soon be recognized by everyone.
