5 scandalous K-pop idols who fans urged to leave their groups: Lesserafim’s Garam, NCT’s Lucas, Exo’s Chen and Chanyeol, and Red Velvet’s Irene all went on hiatus

Jun 13 , 2022

Exo’s Chen, NCT’s Lucas, Red Velvet’s Irene, Lesserafim’s Garam and Exo’s Chanyeol were all asked to leave their respective groups by fans. Photos: @exochenn, @lucas_xx444, @renebaebae, @le_sserafim, @real__pcy/Instagram

Exo’s Chen has been on hiatus since 2020 because fans weren’t happy about his sudden marriage, while his bandmate Chanyeol was accused of cheating by an alleged ex

Red Velvet’s Irene and Lesserafim’s Garam are in trouble for bullying claims, while NCT’s Lucas is on hiatus too for cheating accusations from multiple women

K-pop fans often go all out to show their love for their favourite groups and members, from sending fan mail to renting entire billboards. It’s a well-known fact that some fans are more than happy to go above and beyond to show their love towards idols.

But it’s not always sunshine and rainbows for K-pop group members – sometimes they make mistakes too. And sometimes these are just too atrocious for fans to stay quiet – many of them have even demanded the offending member to leave the group. These idols are usually forced to take a hiatus or, in the worst case scenario, actually quit their band.

So which idols disappointed their fans so strongly that people demanded they leave?

Lesserafim’s Garam

Garam is still on hiatus because of bullying accusations. Photo: @le_sserafim/Instagram

The 16-year-old singer has made headlines for all the wrong reasons as she was accused of being a bully in school. Though the group’s agency, Source Music (part of Hybe), initially released a statement defending her, recent evidence only supported the initial allegations, turning the group’s fans against her.

Kim Garam was supposed to be part of Hybe’s Lesserafim group. Photo: @kimgaramkr/Instagram

A video of the girls performing recently went viral, where fans stopped their cheers specifically when Garam was in the centre, and the hashtags #Garam_Leave and #GaramBully trended on Korean Twitter as well, with fans demanding that she be taken out of the group. Eventually, Garam was put on hiatus from group activities. The girls still remain performing as a five-member group and Garam’s future is still in the dark.

Exo’s Chen

Chen has been on hiatus since 2020. Photo: SM Entertainment

Chen famously had a spontaneous marriage to his then-girlfriend, a non-celebrity, in 2020 – who also happened to be pregnant at the time. Fan reactions were extremely polarised, with some voicing their support, while others – admittedly the most vocal – expressed their anger and disappointment. Not only did they release a statement demanding Chen apologise, they even protested outside the SM Coex Artium in Seoul, demanding he leave his group, Exo.

Exo’s Chen is a multitasking dad. Photo: @real_.pcy____/Instagram

Though Chen enlisted for his mandatory military service later that year, fans’ disappointment was refuelled when it was announced that he and his wife welcomed their second child in early 2022. He hasn’t participated in any major Exo activities since then – mostly due to his enlistment – and his position in the group still remains unclear.

Exo’s Chanyeol

Chanyeol was accused of cheating on his girlfriend. Photo: @weareone.exo/Instagram