The emotional support K-pop boys vs "there are no good men" divide

Art means something, and the dolphin meme overlaid with the word "shibal" means something especially lately for some K-pop fans. "Shibal," or "ssibal" (씨발), is Korean for F**k, and this happy-go-lucky, Lisa Frank-esque meme overlaid by the curse feels like the exact mood someone feels when the world of fandom funsies crashes around them.

This has been the mood for a lot of 2024, which has been a particularly intense year for K-pop, full of drama, lawsuits, internal business fighting, and scandals. And just before 7PM KST on August 28, or just before 6am EST, another one landed: SM Entertainment posted an announcement on their X (formerly Twitter) feed, stating that Moon Taeil of NCT is no longer part of the group due to him being investigated for sex crimes.

But what happens when idols show an example of humanity that is less than ideal?

The fact that they broke the news before any reporter could during a contentious time for media in Korea, did it after the Korean workday, didn't post it on their website (at least that I could find) or Instagram accounts, or send out a press release, but instead posted on the most controversial - but biggest stan-associated- social media app of the moment and how that impacted rumors is a conversation for another day. For now... I want to briefly ruminate on the fallout amid fans.

From the initial shock of the news, it was apparent that fans of NCT and Taeil mostly appear to have rejected him immediately following the announcement by SM. The company's decisiveness appears to have highlighted the seriousness, and potential guilt, of the former K-pop idol. Fans by and large essentially said that if SM Entertainment, a company that tends to waffle when it comes to kicking out members or putting them on hiatuses, made such a decision, it must be serious.

An example of this is perhaps how the NCT 127 on this day account has simply decided to post old content without Taeil, photoshopping him out, literally erasing him from the narrative. (The discussion of historiography and how we tell K-pop's story in the future comes to mind given how fans talk about narratives, but in this case fans are very aware of the facts and retelling it on their own terms intentionally.)

At least one K-pop store has even started removing Taeil photocards from old album stock.

There were, in the follow up, several back-and-forths in the media and among fans about when exactly SM and the rest of NCT became aware of Taeil being investigated for sex-related crimes (it's still unclear what exactly the charges are as of writing), since he participated in the group's July album Walk. He also appeared at a fan event in early August despite being on a longterm hiatus for an injury since last year.

Surprisingly, of all outlets out there reporting on this, I found that Vulture had a pretty good roundup of the issues and timing, without being too sensationalist. If you're inclined, I also was updating in realtime to the best of my ability on my Threads account, where I've recently begun to share news updates and commentary.*

All of this is to say, and the point of this newsletter, is that it's a terribly reflective moment regarding how quickly, with intention from even former diehard supporters, Taeil went from being an emotional support K-pop boy to being a villain who people were spreading rumors about that he had been sexually torturing a minor for six years.

The way rumors spread so quickly online, a journalist ended up getting a statement from a police official after hours, from home. The official confirmed that the rumors spreading were not the case and the victim was an adult woman.

To be honest, not just a newsletter but a whole study needs to be taking place right now about how online rumors have spread in this case despite officials saying that they do not want to share any further details because it would potentially harm the victim. Your engagement numbers and fanwars are not worth that. Victims deserve justice when a crime takes place, not online drama.

Newscycle and ragebait aside, I can't stop thinking about the nuances of the intense emotionality K-pop fans experience when dealing with idols, particularly men. The relationship between K-pop stars and fans is sacrosanct to the point that we get idols frequently apologizing for dating or getting married, essentially for being human. K-pop idols are meant to be a bit better than the typical person. That's why we love them. We look to them, and the communities formed around them, for inspiration, comfort, entertainment, and a whole lot of other reasons.

But what happens when idols show an example of humanity that is less than ideal?

The reaction to Taeil's news was many conversations about whether "there are no good men", especially in South Korea which is currently facing the reality that hundreds of thousands of men currently partake in Telegram deepfake porn or other sorts of sex crime chatrooms, following a previous bust of nth rooms a few years ago. But isn't it better to assume the best of people until proven otherwise?

This is a debate I've seen online in recent days, and have had with friends of mine.

As a pessimist, or maybe a realist after being a part of the K-pop community - as a fan, as a journalist - for 16(!) years, I've always tried to prepare myself for disappointment from K-pop idols. I arm myself with the knowledge that if my faves are terrible people, criminals even, I'd like to know rather than not.

Friends of mine tell me that's a sad way to live, assuming the worst. They're right. I'm also maybe right.

These are choices we make everyday in life, to believe in the people around us rather than live in fear that the horrid depths of villain rules over everyone. It's innocent until proven guilty, every damn day.

But in K-pop, we see time and time again that it is not even necessarily a debate. Instead, it's either innocent or guilty. K-pop idols are glorious, otherworldly stars, until they're proven to be human, and then they're nothing worth giving the time of day to. These are opposite realms of influence, but so tightly related in this space.

I want to make it very, very clear that I'm not saying Taeil is innocent, or worthy of defense (please dear lord do not misunderstand that that is most certainly not what I'm saying.) I'm saying that the mass fandom disavowal of him in the matter of moments after hearing the news is an example of the extremes of K-pop fandom's support. This is a damning case, a criminal case, but we see similar patterns happen in K-pop with less criminal cases, or less severe crimes. The general rule is that it's love, love, love, until - or sometimes beyond - the human failings appears.

At the first hint of dirt, some fans immediately drop an artist, while others cling tight, declaring innocence even sometimes when facts state otherwise.

Taeil's situation is perhaps the most extreme situation ever: Prior to the announcement from SM, there was general hope and excitement about Taeil returning to promotional activities, if not performances, following his injury-related hiatus. Now, the assumption is we will never hear from him ever again, regardless of the investigation's results. This is at least partially, if not wholly, due to SM's quick disavowal.

He is capital "G" guilty of a crime. He is a sexual offender and criminal. People are tearing his photo cards up and removing him from NCT 127's history; the group will likely never talk about him ever again, by name or otherwise, as is standard K-pop behavior regarding former members, criminal or otherwise. A few 127 members have referenced the state of things since his removal from the group, but it's all been vague.

And then there's the counterside: years after they've been charged, and sometimes jailed, we have seen time and time again as male artists get defended for actions, sometimes criminal ones. There's even a nickname for those who defend them, "oppalogists," a portmanteau of "apologists" and the Korean term of endearment women use towards older men, including brothers, relatives, friends, and lovers, "oppa." (This, of course, presumes that the defenders are women.) The classic case is Seungri, whose fans will likely find this and shout at me in the comments and email saying that he was framed by the Korean government, the judicial system, YG Entertainment, or some other entity for the crimes he went to jail for.

So we have extremes. Denial and disavowal. Our bias is a god, an idol on earth, who cannot be touched, they're our parasocial support star. OR they're a disappointment. An embarrassment. A criminal. They're the absolutely worst. (This same dichotomy exists to some degree with the women of K-pop and how they're treated by fans, but usually scandals around the women of K-pop are less around gender crimes and more a woman being a woman, and often more damaging in the long run.)

Occasionally, particularly with less criminal actions, or ones that aren't criminal worldwide, we get a bit of both: some fans support, and other fans turn away. Depending on the context, whether it's something like dating news or a drug arrest (often impacted by fans' cultural backgrounds), some fans stay with the star, acknowledging the wrong, and move on. Some deny wrongness. Some give up supporting them forever. But nuance largely disappears when it comes to betrayals of larger sorts, particularly when sex crimes are involved.

I think the conversationsaround Taeil have been fascinating considering they've come at a time when stan Twitter has mobilized against the deepfake porn Telegram industry in South Korea. (And for what it's worth, I do think it's an industry, regardless of what you'll hear politicians and police denounce; it's so normalized that it is everywhere in South Korea, and men simply act as if it's business as usual while paying and ruining the lives of the women of their country.) South Korea has promoted itself through K-pop and Hallyu using the power of, well, soft power. Now that soft power energy has shone its light on its dark side, garnering attention around the world towards the realities of women in the country. And, to make matters worse, the music world in general is famously misogynistic, with sexism and gendered crimes often considered part of the norm. So how do you approach K-pop, especially K-pop's men, at a moment like this?

In an ideal world, all men, all people, who have ever committed a crime would be held accountable. We don't live in that world. So when that happens, when the trust has been broken, the faith that an idol is only an ideal, that an emotional support K-pop boy may in fact be like many other men in the ills they do, what do you do?

For K-pop fans, K-pop is meant to be a comfort. Fans regularly let artists know how their music, their careers, have saved them. With the cruel reality in front of everyone's eyes, how do you still enjoy? How do you know that what you believe to be good is in fact truly good, and not a facade?

I think the answer is that you never really know. You just have to decide whether you can trust that good people exist or not. Do I believe that? I don't know. I'd like to hope so. This is a question I have, and will have for a long time. Probably until the day I die.

I think it's not ridiculous if someone decides following a case like this that this is the moment they drop K-pop. That they can never listen to a song from a K-pop artist ever again without wonder if they're really seeing that singer, or if they're seeing the smokescreen hiding a dark evil. That's an extreme, stereotyping the industry with broad strokes. But it's also protective. You as a person can only ever dare to protect yourself.

And then there's the counterpart, the defensive hope with a healthy sense of awareness that this is all based on ideals. Humans are based on ideals, and believing that each person you meet or see is the person you want them to be. You hope that people are better than you've been led to believe humanity can be. You make the decision to not operate with the fear that everyone is a liar, a cheat, a criminal. Probability may be against that, but possibility is the way forward.

*Full disclosure that I have a day job at Meta, which owns Threads. I do not work on Threads, and I'm pretty sure my boss wishes I would look at Threads less during the work day. I'm just addicted to social media and this month is the anniversary of the day I decided to stop posting on Twitter last year, so I'm thinking a lot about my relationship with social media!

In the news

K-pop companies have announced stances against deepfakes of their artists as at least one actor is a victim. It has been known for years that female K-pop stars are often the victims of deepfake sexual crimes.

South Korean authorities have launched an investigation into Telegram over its enablement of deepfake porn and related sex crimes.

The CNBC claims, "K-pop is more popular than ever, but that isn’t helping agency stock prices"

"The Last" by Suga has re-entered Billboard World Digital Song Sales charts, as fans rally around him in support. Suga of BTS has been fined for his e-scooter DUI incident.

ADOR, under the new HYBE-approved leadership, is publicly fighting with one of the music video directors who worked closely with NewJeans.

Pinkpantheress teamed up with Le Sserafim for a "Crazy" remix, which is a big deal because her music has inspired many K-pop discographies in recent years.

A look at Korea and K-pop related communities in Uzbekistan and Cuba.

What I'm working on

I reviewed Jaehyun's excellent J album for NME. I don't usually like writing reviews, but trying to push myself a bit more this year. PR reps, please hit me up if you have any upcoming albums (tamarhermanwrites@gmail.com).

What I'm listening to

It's been a few weeks since I wrote one of these so I'm a bit behind but albums from Younha, Onew, Tzuyu, Baekhyun, and Day6 have been on my repeatedly at my house.

What I'm watching

Last Love, a Korean reality show where people over the age of 50 look for love. It's Singles Inferno, the Golden Bachelor version. There's even an alleged bigamist, who has been edited out of the show.

Not Korean, but I'm thoroughly enjoying the second season of Rings of Power. All you haters and naysayers don't understand intercontextual art and retellings. Someone please pay me to write about this absolutely lovely, sometimes not so good but oftentimes truly wonderful, Lord of the Rings show.

While waiting for new episodes of my emotional fantasy comfort show, I am indeed watching some emotional comfort support K-pop boys in the form of Jimin and Jungkook's Are You Sure?!