Some K-pop fans here remain loyal despite scandals

The Straits Times, page D7

It has been a year of reckoning in the K-pop music industry. Allegations of drug-taking, sex crimes, and bribery have rocked a lucrative ecosystem centred around young, attractive idol singers with squeaky-clean public images. Assistant Professor at NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information Liew Kai Khiun believes there is a limit though. He said, “When their behaviours and practices are seen as cynical and anti-social, particularly against women, like the case of Seungri, the line is crossed.”