Hyuna and Hyojong’s relationship: What could be behind Koreans’ harsh reaction.

(Originally posted on Oct 4, 2018 at DCKSTYLE website.)

There has been quite a lot to talk about these past few weeks with artist Kim Hyuna revealing on Instagram her 2-year relationship with fellow company member Pentagon’s Kim Hyojong (E’Dawn). The news came with two different reactions from around the world: either you were thrilled by it or enraged.

On one hand, Korean fans took no time to show their confusion and disagreement with the whole situation, expressing how they felt betrayed and lied to by the artists and the company.

As the company, Cube Entertainment, had already denied the rumors of this exact relationship in the past, all the fans knew something big was going to come their way. And as said, the artists’ promotions of the following weeks were cancelled as well as tickets were returned by angry fans.

This whole turn of events was shocking for American and European kpop fans, who didn’t think the revealing news were that a big of a deal, even congratulating the couple and wishing them the best. They even expressed on social media how they didn’t understand the Korean fans reaction, calling them exaggerated and “fake” for not supporting Hyuna and Hyojong.

Foreign fans might think the correct answer to this kind of situation is to support and approve Hyuna and Hyojong’s relationship, because it is common for artists to date each other in western culture and, theoretically, their personal lives shouldn’t interfere with their professional careers. These arguments could be seen on Twitter and Instagram, mostly trying to appease Koreans reactions.

On the other hand, we can’t really say there is a correct answer to this, as most of the fans defending Hyuna and Hyojong from Koreans comments were not considering South Korea’s values and ways of enjoying entertainment.

The thing is, South Korea’s entertainment is presented and sold in a different way it is presented in other countries. The artists of the Asian music industry are sold with the idea that they are all for the fans, the music and their company. Any other thing outside of that is a distraction, a scandal or something that can ruin the artist image or value.

Quite harsh? Maybe, but Korean artists know and understand the root of this mentality, as the main goal of their talent companies will always be to sell, and they do it by making their idols feel attainable and our-fans-are-everything-there-is-for-us like.

With this in mind, it is easier to understand why Koreans felt betrayed by the artists and the company, as the idea of Hyuna and Hyojong being together (even before the boy debuted) breaks the mentality of compromise and reachability the artists were sold with.

It also explains why the company would cancel Triple H’s promotions and even consider kicking Hyuna and Hyojong out of the company some days later, as they knew what Korean fans reactions were going to be and that it would cost them just as much as their reputation, stock value and money from tickets and merch.

I’m not trying to defend anybody, but it is important to understand and consider all the elements of South Korea’s music industry and culture, that we all love and appreciate. We must have a sharp understanding of the differences of the Asian culture and the western culture and work together to not judge incorrectly an outside situation.