Stars from former girl groups who have recently announced their marriages are facing backlash due to controversies involving their (soon-to-be) husbands. Some idols, previously well-regarded, have suddenly lost their good public image because of their partners' misdeeds.
On July 29, Hani's social media was filled with negative comments about her fiancé, Yang Jae Woong. This followed a report by SBS stating that a patient had died 17 days after being admitted to a hospital operated by a well-known psychiatrist. CCTV footage showed the patient's hands and feet being restrained despite complaints of stomach pain. Netizens speculated that the hospital in question was W Jin Hospital, managed by Yang Jae Woong and his brother, Yang Jae Jin.
Comments on Hani's social media included, "Hani, can't you not get married? Someone died," and "This means if doctors are busy, they neglect their patients," with some even attacking her personally. The controversy intensified because Hani announced her engagement to Yang Jae Woong just four days after the incident. As of the afternoon of the 29th, Yang Jae Woong had not issued an official statement.
T-ara's Jiyeon faced a similar situation after posting on her social media story on the 20th of last month, apologizing to subscribers for delays in uploading YouTube videos due to personal circumstances. This was speculated to be due to backlash following a bench-clearing incident involving her husband, KT Wiz player Hwang Jae Gyun, during a game against the Hanwha Eagles. Netizens posted hateful comments on Jiyeon's social media and YouTube, telling her to "manage her husband." Jiyeon eventually halted her YouTube uploads two weeks after the incident.
HyunA, who announced her marriage to fellow singer Yong Jun Hyung, faced backlash due to Yong's alleged involvement in the "Burning Sun" scandal. Even before the wedding announcement, HyunA faced global criticism following the release of a BBC documentary on the scandal in May. This controversy extended to poor concert ticket sales and audience boycotts, impacting HyunA's career.
This trend of netizens targeting celebrities with hateful comments, especially when issues involve gender roles like "husband and wife," is growing. Pop culture critic Kim Heon Sik commented that it is inappropriate to enforce guilt by association due to public status, especially since these celebrities were not involved in the incidents. He emphasized that such hateful comments amount to serious defamation and criminal acts, noting that neither Hani nor HyunA is yet married, making the criticism even more unwarranted. He criticized the culture of guilt by association prevalent in online discourse in South Korea.
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