How Seunghan’s exit from boy band Riize highlights the danger of K-pop’s global appeal

In the case of South Korean American rapper and singer Jessi, her contract was terminated by her agency after she received severe backlash for not intervening when a teenage fan was assaulted in front of her by her acquaintance in October.

Even in these more morally gray cases, there have been nuanced reactions from international fans who are at least open to understanding why a woman might choose to walk away when she sees a man engaging in physical violence.

Some Chinese fans have described the Anglophone K-pop community’s displeasure with Seunghan’s coming out as “white people asserting their cultural superiority over Asians,” but it would be too simplistic to frame this as an “East vs. West” debate.

It is true, however, that modern society is consumerist by nature. So consumption, or the lack of it, is the easiest way for people to express their values. Fans want to support idols and companies that align with their values.

As K-pop becomes increasingly popular globally, with deliberate efforts made to market it to international audiences, the industry will face value systems very different from its more conservative instincts.

Broadly speaking, East Asian idols, especially young idols, have historically been marketed as romantic fantasies for fans. Fans in these markets have come to expect their idols to maintain their single and available image in return for their loyalty and support.

In other words, don’t date, and if you do, don’t get caught.

In contrast, the past and present teen pop stars of the English-language music scene simply aren’t burdened with the same expectations.

American singer Justin Timberlake was in a relationship with American pop star Britney Spears during NSync. English singer Harry Styles was openly dating English presenter Caroline Flack and American pop star Taylor Swift at the height of One Direction’s fame.

Any suggestion that these idols adhere to a dating ban would be seen by the stars, their music labels and fans as a serious infringement of their personal freedoms.

Riize are a particularly thorny act in this aspect. In a rare move for K-pop, the band made their debut in partnership with American record label RCA Records, signifying their global ambitions from the start.

These conflicting attitudes hurt companies and ultimately idols. There have been calls in the international K-pop community to boycott SM Entertainment and their artists to protest Seunghan’s removal from Riize.

Some international K-pop retailers, including Singapore’s Krmerch, have temporarily stopped importing Riize releases to show their displeasure with how Seunghan was treated.

It’s a difficult situation to navigate and I empathize with the company employees tasked with coming up with solutions, but the least they could do is have a tight implementation of crisis communications.

But Seunghan’s departure was handled horribly by SM Entertainment. A 30-year-old company, as established and experienced as it is, should know very well that there was no decision they could have made that would have pleased all the fans.