From drug suspicions to pedophile controversy -- K-pop stars who embarrassed themselves via social media
Social media has become an important channel for stars to communicate with fans.
Through photos of their everyday lives and tidbits about the entertainment scene, fans get a glimpse of what their heroes are like off the stage.
But some stars have taken it a step too far, sparking controversy because of a photo or message posted without much thought.
As legendary soccer manager Sir Alex Ferguson said, maybe Twitter really is “a waste of time.”
Sulli’s “suspicious” photo
Singer-turned-actress Sulli is no stranger to social media scandal.
She has been known to post what some fans claimed were sexually suggestive photos to her Instagram, not to mention photos of her biting a cat that had some crying animal cruelty.
Her most controversial post so far is a photo she took with her friend Goo Hara, where the two were snugly wearing a single T-shirt that had the logo of a baby product brand. Some raised concerns the photo suggested pedophilia.
She deleted the photo shortly after and wrote, “Stop misunderstanding and good night.”
Goo Hara‘s “drug” scandal
Singer and actress Goo Hara has never been shy to express herself to the public, but maybe she showed a little too much of her life in an Instagram post Wednesday.
She posted what some fans suspected was a picture of marijuana with the message, “This tastes a little sour. It’s good.” Smoking marijuana is illegal in Korea, and is punishable by a lengthy prison term.
She deleted the post shortly after, saying the picture was of rolling tobacco.
Im Chang-jung‘s “inappropriate” wife photo
Earlier in the year, singer Im Chang-jung posted a photo of his pregnant wife driving him home.
The sight of a drunk husband, seemingly dragging his pregnant wife out of the house to drive him home sparked immediate controversy online. He later claimed to have posted the photo to remind himself never to drink again.
Eunhyuk’s “suspicious” visit with IU
Technically IU didn‘t post the photo in question, as it was accidentally leaked. But the 2012 scandal dealt a serious blow to IU’s popularity.
In the photo, she was photographed lying down in pajamas with Eunhyuk of Super Junior, who appeared to be nude at least from the waist up.
Despite the two denying they were in a romantic relationship, IU’s innocent image was tarnished -- at least in the eyes of some die-hard fans.
(khnews@heraldcorp.com)