BIGBANG Member Seungri Faces Criminal Allegations | Daniella Castanheira

In the past month, four K-Pop idols have apologized or retired early, including former idol Seungri and singer Jung Joon-young. These actions have come in the wake of evidence pointing to a group chat where sexual videos of women were filmed and shared without their consent. Spy cams are a major problem in South Korea, with hidden camera pornography leaving many unknowing victims behind. Seungri was a board member for the nightclub Burning Sun before police accusations claimed that prostitutes were used there for rape, drug trafficking, and drug use. Although everyone implicated has said that they are cooperating fully with the investigation, it is hard to see their careers ever recovering. The K-Pop industry is rigorously maintained, and although encouraging of the sensuality of its female soloists and groups, will not allow for scandals to sully the name of the brand. However, cover-ups and apologies can only go so far, as the continued objectification of women remains a burning problem.

This article was written by Jake Kwon, Sophie Jeong, and James Griffiths on March 22, 2019. Before reading this article, I was well aware of the scandal involving Seungri, but not on the extreme societal issue taking place in South Korea over the objectification of women. South Korea is home to one of the worst pay gaps between men and women in a developed country, and many female spy cam victims say that it is impossible to feel comfortable in their own bodies. Although this is not an event that took place in America, I thought it was still important to cover because of both of K-Pop's recent proliferation in America and the societal issues surrounding it. This ties back in to the #MeToo movement, as well as the 2018 protest in Seoul with the slogan "My Life Is Not Your Porn." As is evident to see, while steps are being taken to cut down the amount of illegal filming, unless something is done on a country wide level to address the root problems of the degradation of women, this toxic masculinity might not go away for a long time.


https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/21/asia/kpop-korea-sex-scandal-intl/index.html

(Additional links, if anyone is interested:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/19/k-pop-sex-scandal-is-just-beginning/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1aed652df1be
https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/14/entertainment/jung-filming-sex-kpop-scandal-intl/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/06/asia/south-korea-spy-cams-toilet-intl/index.html
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