4 K-pop idols who bounced back from scandals: Irene was in Red Velvet’s Queendom EP despite bullying allegations, while TVXQ’s Yunho hosts a new show after allegedly violating social distancing rules

Sep 1 , 2021

AOA’s Seolhyun, Red Velvet’s Irene and TVXQ’s Yunho are just a few K-pop idols who have been embroiled in scandals. Photos: @sh_9513; @renebaebae; @yunho2154/Instagram

AOA’s Seolhyun returned to the spotlight with a new YouTube channel – after former bandmate Mina accused her of turning a blind eye to bullying from Jimin

Despite admitting to drug use and being embroiled in an ongoing court case, former iKon member B.I still managed to release solo album ‘Waterfall’ this year

This past year, a slew of K-pop stars got caught up in shocking scandals, some of which even threatened to destroy their careers. From Red Velvet’s Irene being accused of bullying to former iKon member B.I going to court over drug usage, these incidents shocked fans and dominated headlines, prompting the stars involved to retreat from the spotlight – at least for a while.

So which K-pop stars attempted comebacks following scandals … and how successful were they?

Red Velvet’s Irene

Red Velvet vocalist Irene was accused of bullying by her stylist. Photo: @redvelvet.smtown/Instagram

In October 2020, fans of girl group Red Velvet were shocked to hear allegations that vocalist Irene, whose real name is Bae Joo-hyun, had bullied her stylist. The news sparked a swathe of criticism from fans, and even calls that Irene withdraw from the group, leading to her retreating from the spotlight from some time. The seven-year-old band also put a pause on making public appearances together.

Then, on August 16, Red Velvet released its sixth EP, Queendom – with Irene included. Since the release, Irene has been active on social media, reconnecting with her fans. At the same time, netizens have shown mixed responses to her return to singing. Some say she still does not deserve to be part of Red Velvet, while others have accepted her apology and welcomed her back.

TVXQ’s Yunho

Yunho, one half of the duo TVXQ, went from being described as “diligent and passionate” by fans to “irresponsible and inappropriate”. The reason for his worsened reputation? He was accused of violating social distancing rules. To make matters worse, these accusations came while he was caught hanging out at an illegal members-only escort bar, which was falsely registered as a restaurant. He visited the venue amid increasing coronavirus cases in South Korea earlier this year.

Yunho apologised to his fans for his behaviour in an Instagram post. “I am very sorry to the health care workers who are working hard and dealing with a difficult situation due to Covid-19, and to everyone who has been going through difficult and tiring days,” he wrote, according to The Straits Times.