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David D. Lee

In the space of a single week in early December, three household names in South Korean entertainment abruptly retreated from the spotlight.
Actor Cho Jin-woong announced his sudden retirement on December 6 after decades-old reports resurfaced online about his brief stint in juvenile detention.
Two days later, television host and comedian Park Na-rae suspended her broadcast appearances following claims she had mistreated staff and received unauthorised medical treatments.
And fellow comedian Cho Sae-ho withdrew from his regular programmes the following day amid online allegations linking him to an acquaintance supposedly tied to organised crime, accusations that his agency has denied.

Each case was distinct, yet the response followed a familiar script. Allegations spread rapidly on social media, advertisers swiftly pulled sponsorships and formal apologies were made before any investigation had time to catch up.
Their careers collapsed almost overnight – casualties of a hyperconnected society where reputations can be lost in seconds.
The trio’s abrupt exits have brought renewed attention to South Korea’s unforgiving culture of public shaming: a recurring cycle in which online outrage, tabloid sensationalism and corporate caution converge to silence celebrities.
“When the public turns their back on them, it’s like cutting off a lifeline,” Chung Chan-seung, director of the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association’s social responsibility committee, told This Week in Asia.

A deeper malaise
In South Korea, the phenomenon is hardly new. In 2010, hip-hop artist Tablo of Epik High endured one of the country’s first major online witch hunts when a group known as TaJinYo relentlessly hounded him with accusations of faking his Stanford degree.
In 2019, f(x) singer Sulli took her own life after years of relentless cyberbullying.
Two years later, actor Kim Seon-ho saw his career almost dismantled over a false anonymous post, and in 2023, leaked reports and unverified rumours about Lee Sun-kyun’s alleged drug use culminated in the Parasite actor’s suicide.
This repeated pattern has made Korean celebrities symbols of a deeper malaise.
“The social stress levels of our society are extremely high,” Chung explained. When people struggle with loneliness, unemployment and other issues, they “start looking for a target, someone they can pour out their aggression onto,” he said.
Public figures are often the most visible outlet – and many find it hard to defend themselves.

Love and hate
South Korea’s stars have long depended on fervent online fandoms for success. Their scale is staggering: BTS’ Army has some 5.4 million followers on one platform alone, while Blackpink’s Blinks number over 9 million.
The actions of these vast collectives can shape online discourse and industry trends, but that same machinery can just as quickly turn against the idols it once worshipped.
Kwon Da-hae*, a fan of the K-pop group Seventeen, recalled streaming the band’s music day and night on her phone to improve chart standings.
All we ever want is to see our favourite artist happy
Kwon Da-hae*, K-pop superfan
“We coordinate on fan forums and encourage each other to stream. Sometimes, my fan club even holds events with small prizes to boost participation,” she said.
“All we ever want is to see our favourite artist happy on stage with a trophy in hand. That’s our form of love.”
But that same collective energy can also mobilise in anger. When dating rumours or misconduct allegations break, fan groups have been known to flood comment sections, boycott merchandise or even send protest trucks to entertainment agencies.
The current of devotion that lifts celebrities up can just as easily pull them under.

Failure of empathy
According to Kim Jeong-seob, a professor of entertainment studies at Sungshin Women’s University, online communities such as Instiz and TheQoo have become extensions of daily life – platforms that superfans “check every morning as routinely as washing up or eating breakfast”.
“Fans become attached to their celebrities to the point of idolising them,” he said. “But there’s also a sense of envy, of not being able to become like that person.”
When controversy strikes, that mix of emotions can erupt into mass condemnation. “People start to conform to the collective bashing of celebrities and their actions,” Kim said.
For Korean celebrities, love itself can be a scandal. A single dating rumour can summon a storm of devotion turned to betrayal.

Kim described it as a failure of empathy, urging more discipline in online culture and a move towards real-name accountability among commenters.
He imagines a different way forward, one rooted in human connection rather than digital distance.
“We’re in such a rush to judge people online from the smallest of rumours,” Kim said. “But you get to experience things through your six senses when you have offline interactions.”
Online, people reacted without thinking, he said. Offline, we remember we are human. And celebrities are only human, too.
*Name changed at interviewee’s request
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline. You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.


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South Korea

Worship to witch hunts: how South Korea’s fandoms turn on their idols

K-pop fans react during a concert in Seoul in 2023. Photo: AFP

South Korean comedian Cho Sae-ho (left) pictured with Bill Gates (centre) in August 2025. Photo: Instagram/chosaeho

Korean actor Kim Seon-ho almost saw his career dismantled over a false anonymous post. Photo: Instagram/seonho_kim

Fans of K-pop boy band BTS pose for photos as they queue up for the annual ‘BTS Festa’ in South Korea earlier this year Photo: AFP

Cho Jin-woong in a still from No Way Out: The Roulette. The actor announced his retirement on December 6, after decades-old reports resurfaced online about his brief stint in juvenile detention. Photo: Disney+

Fans gather outside the venue of Song Hye-Kyo and Song Joong-Ki’s wedding at a hotel in Seoul in 2017. The two South Korean stars played lovers in a television drama before getting married. Photo: Yonhap/AFP

Why South Koreans are falling out of love with K-pop: ‘it’s all in English now’

Members of K-pop act BTS attend the 2022 Grammy Awards in Las Vegas. Photo: TNS

Girls’ Generation perform at an album showcase in Seoul in 2015. Photo: Multi-Bits/Getty Images

Stray Kids perform live at a festival in Hyde Park, London last year. Photo: Invision/AP

NewJeans pose for a photo at Seoul Fashion Week in 2023. Photo: Getty Images

Mixed-sex K-pop group Allday Project launched its debut single in June. Photo: Instagram/theblacklabel

Cho Jin-woong: South Korea torn as crime-fighting actor quits over criminal past

Cho Jin-woong in a still from “Believer”. Photo: Next Entertainment World 

Cho Jin-woong in a still from “Believer 2”. Photo: Netflix.

The Seoul shuffle: why foreigners are loving and leaving South Korea

People walk through a crowded street in the Myeong-dong shopping district of Seoul on August 5. Photo: Reuters

Gwenaelle Storne decided to move long-term to Seoul after marrying her South Korean husband in 2023. Photo: David D Lee

People walk across a road in Seoul in April. South Korea’s working-age population is forecast to halve by 2070. Photo: AFP

Seasonal migrant workers harvest onions at a farm in Changnyeong, South Korea, last year. Photo: Yonhap/EPA-EFE

In Daerim-dong, Chinese migrants have built a thriving community in a historic neighbourhood that feels like an extension of home. Photo: Erika Na

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When stars shine brightest in the glare of publicity, the darkness that follows can feel absolute. This December, three more lights went out


When stars shine brightest in the glare of publicity, the darkness that follows can feel absolute. This December, three more lights went out.


Worship to witch hunts: how South Korea’s fandoms turn on their idols

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}When stars shine brightest in the glare of publicity, the darkness that follows can feel absolute. This December, three more lights went out

When stars shine brightest in the glare of publicity, the darkness that follows can feel absolute. This December, three more lights went out