It’s no secret that the lives of K-pop idols are under heavy scrutiny, constantly under the watchful eyes of the faithful K-pop fans. Accordingly, idols are often held to unrealistic standards by their management agencies. They often must sign contracts that are referred to as “slave contracts,” which span for long periods of time and contain harsh clauses regulating their behavior. One aspect of life this strictness is manifested is in their dating lives. The big three talent agencies have even openly shared their dating policies—JYP doesn’t allow their idols to date for the first three years of their career, YG has strict dating rules that get looser as idols become more profitable, and SM stresses not getting caught dating. While these policies are somewhat understandable given the potential for backlash and loss of profit on the part of the entertainment companies, they ultimately objectify idols and demonstrate a lack of respect for them as people. Someone’s dating life should not be subject to strict rules—even if they are idols, they should be able to date freely.
These strict rules lead to almost comical solutions by idols. They will communicate through proxies such as hairdressers, leave mysterious secret notes, or having elaborate alibis. At the end of the day, the fact that idols have to jump through hoops just to meet romantic interests is saddening and illustrates a consequence of embracing such a controlling culture.
The strictness of these entertainment companies was displayed in 2018, when singer HyunA went public with her relationship with fellow singer E’Dawn. Stating that HyunA had not consulted them prior to making this announcement, her agency—Cube Entertainment—parted ways with her and stated their relationship was “broken beyond repair.” This behavior indicates that these agencies believe they should have full control over the lives of their idols. This type of relationship only cultivates a toxic work environment and should be discouraged in any workplace. This sentiment was echoed by the fans, as the dating scandal created a huge backlash against Cube.
Hyuna and E’Dawn, two K-pop idols who defied industry rules on dating
While it may not be justified, these entertainment companies do have good reason to have such strict policies on dating. Due to the obsessive nature of K-pop fans, dating in between groups can create messy and unfavorable situations. Fans will often resort to spamming social media comment sections if they are displeased with a couple. Shockingly, if not received well, a dating leak can lead to the downfall of an idol’s career. For example, Block B’s Zico and AOA’s Seolhyun broke up after six months because of “immense public pressure” because fans of Zico had turned against Seolhyun. Additionally, some fans threatened to boycott Super Junior if member Sungmin was included in the comeback tour due to public outrage regarding his marriage to actress Kim Sa Eun. Clearly, this type of fan culture represents a stark difference from Western fan culture, where celebrities are free from this degree of scrutiny on their dating lives.
However, the reaction to HyunA and E’Dawn could possibly represent a cultural shift in which fans are more receptive to their idols dating. Because of the number of “dating scandals,” fans may have come to view idols dating as increasingly more normal. In the case of HyunA and E’Dawn, international fans started a petition in support that has attracted over 90,000 signatures.
Unfortunately, while backlash from fans can pressure entertainment companies to lift dating bans for idols, there are still many ways to indirectly stop idols from dating. Lee Jong-im, a researcher at the Center for Culture & Society, said some trainees cut off friends of their own accord because dating can attract unwanted attention and lower chances of success. Additionally, trainees of different genders practice in separate studios until 10 to 11pm, leaving idols nearly no chance to interact with each other.
While entertainment companies should never have catered to the irrational behavior of fans by creating rules on dating in the first place, the current climate of today is a great opportunity to lift these restrictions and start to show idols respect for their personal lives. As fans start to become more receptive of idols dating and even marrying, so should entertainment companies. Ultimately, the only way for K-pop to sustain its unprecedented success is to ensure the happiness of all parties involved, including the idols. That means they should be treated like people to be respected, not objects to be exploited for profit.
Sources:
https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/k-pop-s-big-3-agencies-dating-rules
https://kpopherald.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=201811021412206471510_2
https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/21/entertainment/kpop-dating-hyuna-edawn-music-celebrity-intl/index.html
https://jacobin.com/2020/07/bts-k-pop-kpop-black-lives-matter-blm-trump
Musings on K-pop by Duke Univ. Students 
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