There are scandals, controversies, breakups, dating and marriage news throughout the year. Take a peek at what exciting events are coloring the Korean entertainment industry during the second half of 2021.
Towards the end of the year, WowKeren summarizes the horrendous events that will occur in the South Korean entertainment world throughout 2021. The first half of the year was marked by a series of shocking bullying cases. July to December was filled with several controversies regarding the artist's personal life.
The Korean entertainment industry continues to struggle in 2021 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. But despite the challenges, there were many bright moments this year including the "Squid Game" phenomenon and the return of face-to-face events such as K-Pop concerts.
There are also scandals, controversies, breakups, dating and marriage news for this year. Immediately, let's take a peek at what exciting events are coloring the Korean entertainment industry during the second half of 2021!
(wk/chus)
1. July: Kris Wu's Sexual Harassment Case
Kris Wu may not be an EXO member anymore and hasn't had a career in the South Korean entertainment industry for a long time. But his shocking scandal still rocked K-Pop fans.
Kris Wu reportedly sexually abused 30 girls, including underage teens, after getting them drunk. Although Kris Wu has denied all accusations, major brands have decided to terminate their contracts immediately. Kris Wu was detained by Beijing police at the end of July.
July was also marked by drama fever, this time "Nevertheless" starring Han So Hee and Song Kang. The JTBC drama is adapted from a popular webtoon that many people read. The character Yoo Na Bi (Han So Hee) successfully made viewers excited until it went viral.
The news of breaking up also colored the month of July. It was confirmed that Super Junior's Kim Heechul and TWICE's Momo after being in a relationship for one year and six months. The fans are sad, but still support both of them.
However, on July 29, Kwon Mina was found unconscious after another suicide attempt. The day before, the former AOA member wrote a handwritten letter to apologize to everyone.
2. August: Lucas WayV Dating Scandal
The Lucas WayV dating scandal shocked fans in August. A number of women accused him of gaslighting, making the idol's big fandom no longer trust him.
In particular, Lucas was accused of having an affair by people claiming to be his ex-girlfriend, having unprotected sex, badmouthing members of groups and TV shows, taking advantage of fans, and more.
Lucas admits he was wrong and regrets his actions in the past. Currently he is still stopping his activities with NCT and WayV. There are quite a number of fans looking forward to his return.
August was also marked by dating news between Lee Min Ho and Yeonwoo Momoland. Dispatch claims that the two have been in a secret relationship. However, the agency firmly denied the rumors of their artist's dating.
Unlike Yeonwoo, Red Velvet's Joy actually decided to go public with Crush after their relationship was caught by the media. Until now the two are still dating and even show it openly.
iKON's Bobby added another surprise in August by announcing that he is getting married and his girlfriend is pregnant. In September, he fathered a baby boy.
3. September: The 'Squid Game' Phenomenon
"Squid Game" which was released by Netflix on the Chuseok holiday was a huge success and became a worldwide phenomenon. This drama about the competition for lives has become the most popular Netflix show of all time with 142 million viewers since its release on September 17 and ranked first in 94 countries.
“Squid Game” tells the story of 456 debt-ridden people who join a deadly game to win a prize of 45.6 billion won. The series features Lee Jung Jae, Park Hae Soo and Jung Ho Yeon as the main characters.
The huge success of "Squid Game" became a worldwide phenomenon with iconic things from the drama going viral, such as the competition guard costume and the deadly doll Young Hee. The players, especially Jung Ho Yeon, gained high popularity.
September was also marked by achievements from the music industry, namely the success of Lisa BLACKPINK's solo debut (Black Pink). Lisa broke a series of female solo artist album records with "LALISA" and equaled BLACKPINK's previous record with "The Album."
The conflict between Kwon Mina and AOA that has been going on since last year also entered a new chapter this month. Dispatch released their conversation in a group chat, reversing opinions about who the victim and perpetrator were. Jimin and Seolhyun got different responses.
4. October: Kim Seon Ho's Abortion Scandal
Kim Seon Ho became one of the most popular actors in 2021 thanks to his appearances in the dramas "Start-Up" and "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha." However, on October 17, his ex-girlfriend Choi Young Ah accused Kim Seon Ho of forcing her to have an abortion with false promises of marriage and living together.
The abortion scandal nearly ruined the career of Kim Seon Ho, who admitted he was wrong and apologized. Due to the controversy, he left "2 Days & 1 Night" and left the films he starred in. But thanks to the disclosure made by Dispatch, Kim Seon Ho's career was saved.
Friends and acquaintances of Kim Seon Ho and Choi denied the accusations, so Korean public opinion swung in favor of the actor. The company restarted their commercial featuring Kim Seon Ho, and he continued to star in his debut film “Sad Tropics.”
In addition to Kim Seon Ho's abortion scandal, V BTS (Bangtan Boys) dating rumors have also successfully shocked the public. V is rumored to be dating Joanna Chun after her visit at an art exhibition. He was seen with Joanna's parents, the sultan of Paradise Group.
Big Hit Music released an official statement, denying the dating rumors of V and Joanna Chun. V himself also responded to the rumors personally through Weverse's posts filled with emotions.
5. November: Park Shin Hye and Choi Tae Joon Announce Marriage
After a series of shocking scandals in the previous months, November was marked by happy news. One of them is from Park Shin Hye and Choi Tae Joon who have dated for quite a while.
On November 23, it was announced that Park Shin Hye is pregnant and that she will marry Choi Tae Joon on January 22. Never indulged in intimacy, they had actually been in a relationship for four years.
EXO's Chen added to the joy of November by announcing that his wife is expecting their second child. Married early 2020, their first baby was born in April 2020.
From the music industry, BTS successfully held their first face-to-face concert in two years, "PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE" at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, United States for four days. RM (Rap Monster) and friends opened the concert spectacularly and emotionally.
But there is sad news from Lovelyz. The girl group from Woollim Entertainment disbanded after being together for seven years since their debut in 2014. Mijoo, Sujeong, Yein, Jiae, Jisoo, Kei and Jin left Woollim while leader Baby Soul renewed his contract with the agency.
6. December: Pros and Cons of 'Snowdrop'
December was opened by the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) which was attended by a row of top Korean groups and musicians. BTS swept all 4 Daesangs without even attending in person. They won a total of 9 awards at the 2021 MAMA and are the artists to win the most awards at the event.
However, the pros and cons of "Snowdrop" starring BLACKPINK's Jisoo (Black Pink) and Jung Hae In have been in the spotlight for several weeks. Premiering December 18 on JTBC and Disney+, the audience accused the drama of distorting Korean history.
As of December 28, more than 350,000 Koreans had signed the national petition filed on December 19, to stop the drama from airing. However, JTBC continued to broadcast "Snowdrop" as scheduled, with criticism and negative responses still continuing.
The entertainment industry has also been hit by a wave of COVID-19 with three BTS members testing positive. They are Suga, RM and Jin. Other celebrities infected with the virus are also Super Junior's Choi Siwon, six ENHYPEN members, BLACKPINK's Lisa to Yoo Jae Seok.
In addition to COVID-19, BTS has also drawn the spotlight due to dating rumors involving two of its members. Jungkook is rumored to be in a relationship with actress Lee Yu Bi since 2018, while RM reportedly has a rich girlfriend. But everything was denied by Big Hit Music.
As in previous years, the turn of the year in the Korean entertainment industry was enlivened by music festivals and awards events held by three public TV stations, KBS, SBS and MBC. Happy New Year 2022!
