Koreaboo
One characteristic that sets apart the Korean entertainment industry from its Western counterparts is its strict standards of conduct. Once crossed, certain lines can potentially be career-ending for even the biggest stars of the generation.
Here are some prominent Korean celebrities who completely disappeared from the industry after their scandals:
1. Kim Min Gwi
The actor rose to popularity with his role in Nevertheless but his career took a dip soon after when he was accused to of cheating on his long-time girlfriend. A netizen, claiming to be his ex-girlfriend, publicly accused him of being unfaithful and in the process, violating COVID-19 quarantine regulations. He allegedly left his home without permission to meet up with a girl he was seeing on the side. His agency partially confirmed the accusations, saying that he regretted cheating on his girlfriend, but he never broke the quarantine rules.
The incident soured Kim’s public image quite a bit, and since then, the actor has not been spotted on screen. His last project was Narco-Saints, a 2022 release.
2. Kim Hyun Joong
Kim was part of the boy band SS501 and a well-known actor, having appeared in K-dramas like Boys Over Flowers and Playful Kiss. Often considered one of the biggest Hallyu stars of the 2010s, Kim’s career hit one hurdle after another with his back-to-back serious controversies.
In 2014, his former girlfriend Choi filed charges of physical assault against him, stating that he repeatedly beat her, causing broken ribs. At that time, the court fined him ₩5.00 million KRW (about $3,610 USD), arguing that even if he didn’t hit her with the intention of injuring her, the damage was evident. However, this ruling was rescinded in 2016.
Meanwhile, in 2015, a magazine reported that Choi and Kim had reunited and were expecting a child. Kim Hyun Joong quickly refuted the rumors, saying he had not seen her since January and couldn’t confirm if the child was his. In December 2015, a paternity test revealed that Kim was indeed the father of the baby Choi gave birth to in September that year.
In May 2015, Choi filed a lawsuit against Kim for 1.48 million USD, claiming that his abuse had led her to miscarry a previous pregnancy in 2014. Kim later filed and won a ₩100 million KRW (about $72,200 USD) counter-suit against her for defamation in the Supreme Court of Korea, which ruled that there was circumstantial evidence that Choi was not pregnant in 2014. Prosecutors filed criminal charges against Choi for attempted fraud in 2017, and she was fined [krw[ 5 million [/krw] in 2018.
In the meantime, 2017 saw Kim Hyun Joong’s third scandal. He was charged with drunk driving after police found him asleep in his car at a traffic light in Seoul. He was fined [krw] 2 million [/krw], and his license was suspended.
Since 2019, Kim has not been spotted in any acting projects. He, however, continued releasing new music in Korean until 2022, whereas his last concert tour, The End of a Dream, concluded in 2023.
3. Yoo Seung Joon
Yoo Seung Jun, better known as Steve Yoo, is a Korean-American singer, rapper, and actor who made his debut in 1997 with the song “Gawi.” He was one of the most popular K-Pop stars in Korea in the 2000s, but his career ended abruptly in 2002 when he was accused of evading South Korea’s mandatory military service by becoming a US citizen. The singer was subsequently banned from entering South Korea, becoming the only person in the country’s history to be banished for obtaining citizenship from a different country.
Since then, Yoo has been unable to step foot in South Korea, effectively taking a leave from his career in K-Pop. However, in 2023, the Seoul High Court made a ruling in his favor, lifting his entry ban to South Korea. Though the legal obstruction is gone, in 2024, Yoo stated that no progress had been made on his visa application, and he hasn’t been able to visit the country yet.
4. GLAM members
GLAM, popularly known as the only girl group under BigHit Entertainment (now BIGHIT MUSIC), debuted in 2012 and quickly made their mark in the K-Pop industry. Though they started out as a quintet, for the majority of their career, GLAM promoted as a four-member group after one of them left the same year they debuted.
The group’s steady rise to success was interrupted in 2014 when actor Lee Byung Hun accused GLAM member Dahee of blackmailing him using a compromising video as leverage. She was sentenced to one year in prison in January 2015, and around the same time, the group officially disbanded.
Since then, none of the members have been able to make a full-fledged return to the industry. Ironically, Dahee is the only one who has found a footing in a public career once again as a streamer. Among the other members, Jiyeon (now Haee) is the only one still pursuing a career as a soloist. Miso has completely disappeared from the public eye, while Zinni (now Jinny Kim) has shifted to the athletic world, becoming a prize-winning longboard skater.
5. Former LE SSERAFIM’s Garam
Garam debuted as a member of LE SSERAFIM in 2022 and was able to gain a fanbase for herself pretty quickly, owing to her youthful visuals and stage presence. But her contract with HYBE ended within two months of her debut, owing to a bullying scandal. Garam was accused of bullying her classmate, which led to the victim having to drop out of school. Despite denying the accusations, Garam couldn’t escape scathing public scrutiny and had to leave her short-lived idol career behind.
Though it has been two years since the scandal, she has not made any intentional public appearances. However, netizens have been able to keep up with her whereabouts as she graduated high school and enrolled in Konkuk Univerisity’s Department of Media and Acting a few months ago.
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