Back Again

I've been on a long break, and once again, I apologize for that.  There's a whole lot that has been happening over the past two years, both in my personal life and in the k-pop world (as well as in the wider, real world).  So, I'm going to summarize the basics of what has stuck in my mind over the past two years and, hopefully, stay online this time.

 The most obvious issue would be the ongoing drama between Kim Hyun Joong and his ex, Ms. Choi. Now, if you've been with me from the very beginning, you'd know that I have a very soft spot for KHJ. He was my very first k-pop love and even though he's not my number 1 bias anymore, I still do adore him.  And yes, I said that in the present tense. Here's what's been going on: KHJ was dating a woman (Ms. Choi) and they broke up. Of course, while they were dating, the media didn't mention anything about it (keep in mind that KHJ has stated many times that if he were to date, he would do it secretly until marriage because he doesn't want the woman to be branded as his woman for the rest of her life if they break up). After their break-up, the media hit us with the news that she was pressing charges against him for domestic violence. Pause here. I was heartbroken. I didn't want to believe that he would do something like that. The shocking news was just another reminder that k-pop idols are human, too. Anyway, he took part in the investigations like a good citizen, and his statements said (according to mass media) that he had shoved her and that was what resulted in broken limbs. Netizens were pissed. How could one shove break someone's ribs? (Later, another variation of this story started circulating. Apparently, she had broken into his apartment and attacked him and he shoved her out. His neighbors were witnesses and they called security and there was also CCTV footage.  I don't know how true this story is, but to be honest, this is the one I want to believe.) The courts fined him for the one incident that he confessed to. Meanwhile, Ms. Choi, claimed that all she wanted was a sincere apology, and KHJ gave her a public one (how sincere it was, I wouldn't really know since I don't know him personally). And we thought that that would be the end of it.  Turns out, it wasn't. Ms. Choi decided to tell the public that she was pregnant - with KHJ's child. And even I, who really didn't want to believe or accuse my beloved of being abusive had to agree that she was either a sucker for bad treatment or just really dumb.  How do you get pregnant for a man that you left because he was beating you??  Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had those opinions and voiced them. She decided that she didn't like that and started suing netizens for malicious comments. Then, she revealed that she was forced to have an abortion (prior to recent pregnancy)  by KHJ and that she had also had a miscarriage (also prior to the recent one) due to physical abuse by Kim Hyun Joong.  By now, people were starting to get suspicious, and her supporters started to fade away. Since then, it's been a back and forth between both parites, with KHJ's legal team speaking on his behalf most of the time due to the fact that he is currently enlisted in the army. Many of the people who had initially started out with the opinion of stoning Hyun Joong, have decided that maybe it makes more sense to wait until the courts have decided to pass judgment before making up their minds.

I stand by the statement that I normally have: everyone makes mistakes. Which is why I was disappointed when the news first came out. At the same time, I was relieved to know that he broke up with her because he realized that what he did was wrong (which is evident because he said so via the text message that he broke up with her in before all of this came to the media's attention).  In the beginning, Ms. Choi had my sympathy, simply because she was a woman who had been in an unhealthy relationship.  As time passed, however, my sympathy disappeared. Reasons why I don't think anything good of her include, but are not limited to:

1. The fact that prior to taking the case to court, she had accepted money from him. Yes, that can be considered blackmail. But, if her intentions are as pure as she is trying to make it seem, she should not have accepted the money.

 2. She has been found lying on more than one issue. The reason this irritates me is because domestic violence is a real issue, and there are victims who have to live with it everyday.  When someone lies about anything, their credibility declines. And when a woman lies about the details of an incident like this, it makes people wary of others who just may need the urgent assistance.  It's sad that she decided to use something like this to attempt to ruin her ex-boyfriend.

3. She doesn't know when to stop.  This issues has been in the news all year. Literally. And she is still dragging the media into it. She gave birth to her baby in September, and you would think, for the sake of her child, she would try to finish things cleanly and quietly.  But no. Shortly after the child was born, she decided to sue KHJ, again. This time, she claims it's because he's denying the child.  The thing about that is, he agreed to do a paternity test (which he did) and said that if the child is his, he would take responsibility for him/her. Ms. Choi pressed the charges simply because he did meet with her at the hospital and he has no intentions of doing so.

The next issue that made news over the past two years that stood out to me was the Clara vs. Polaris Entertainment CEO lawsuit.  She claimed that he sexually harassed her and that she wanted to terminate her contract.  Turns out, though, that she initiated everything by flirting and sending provocative pictures to him.  I agree, the CEO should have been smart enough to not go chasing after Clara's skirts. In the same breath, Clara should not have led him on.  Both of them were in the wrong, in that aspect. The CEO, though, turned around and sued Clara for blackmail. Which is exactly what Clara was doing.  She was trying to use their history to get him to cancel her contract. Once again, the problem with this is that when a woman (or anyone) uses this as an excuse to get what they want, they detract from the seriousness of the real issue and cause other people to have to fight harder to get out of situations where they feel attacked or preyed on. If she had a problem with the CEO's behavior, she should have reported it separately and not try to use it to get out of a contract.

Then there was the whole issue with Bobby (from Ikon) dissing idol rappers.  This, to me, was hilarious. Basically, netizens and kpop fans went crazy when Bobby, who is an idol rapper, insulted idol rappers. The insults were aimed towards Ravi (VIXX) and Rap Monster (BTS), even though he swears they weren't. I can understand the frustration, but the problem with that is that, idol rappers have been stepping up their game...before Bobby decided to insult them.  Not only that, but Rap Monster (regardless of anyone's personal preference) is actually a really good lyricist and rapper, so are most rappers that have debuted in rookie groups over the past 2-3 years. There have been some people who like to protest and say that "dissing" is a part of rap culture, but that's not necessarily true. When real rappers in the American industry "diss" each other, it's not so much for entertainment as it is because they have a real problem with the artist that they are attacking, and/or they are trying to be seen.  These "disses" usually end in either physical violence or one rappers career being over...sometimes both. There are also rappers, like J. Cole and Common, who rap about issues, and not people.  Of course, none of this was really an issue, since he had to perform a diss rap for Show Me the Money (SMTM).  But, when Bobby and B.I released diss lyrics in IKON's debut album, it became an issue.  Do they really have nothing else to talk about? Are their talents limited to insulting and putting other artists down?  Those are the thoughts running through my mind. And Bobby's BS excuse doesn't hold any water either.  He claims that he just wanted to tell his seniors (since every single one of them is exactly that) to work harder together to polish their images as rappers.  Let's be real. Zico is an idol rapper (even though he started off underground). So is Bang Yong Guk, Rap Monster, Suga, and Zelo.  I'm not sure how good of a lyricist Zelo is, but that's not even relevant since Zelo's flow was better than some underground rapper's when he was only fifteen. Also, let's take into consideration that Bang Yong Guk is a producer, so is Junhyung (from Beast), so are all the members of BTS and so are Kyung and Zico and the list can go on and on.  Idols are slowly moving away from just being pretty faces, so Bobby can stop worrying about that and focus on how to get more fans. From what I've been reading and hearing, IKON may be selling decently, but their fan base is already not as big as it could be...or should be, seeing as they have Papa YG's backing and money. No doubt they have worked really hard to debut, but in an industry that is all about hierarchy, they are going nowhere fast with the arrogant attitude displayed by one of the most popular members.

And we can't forget about Sungmin's marriage, now can we? Sungmin started dating a musical actress (whose name still eludes me) and got into problems with fans when he incorporated her initial or something into his signature.  Honestly, I would have been upset, too. It's not like getting your favorite idol's signature is easy to do. So for an idol to give a signature that's paying tribute to someone else and not really THEIR signature is truly aggravating. For once, I sort of understood where the fan rage was coming from.  Then, Sungmin married the girl and fans went crazier and some even demanded that he be kicked out of Super Junior.  To me, that's a bit overboard.  I mean, these guys are not that young anymore and so I'm kind of happy they're starting to settle down.  I was kind of in shock because I honestly thought Sungmin was either gay, or just really weird and I figured he would be one of the last members to get married.  Turns out I was wrong since he's probably straight and he was the first member to wed.  There were rumors going around that maybe they got married because he got her pregnant. Those rumors were put to rest by a statement from both sides as well as the fact that if she was, she should have given birth about now. To be honest, I am quite happy for Sungmin and I hope his marriage lasts. Maybe Yesung will get married next?

In stark contrast to the joyous news of a union, there was also the sad news of death. Ladies Code EunB and Rise both died due to a car accident late one night. EunB died almost immediately, but Rise held on for a few days. The other three members were hospitalized for a few days, but they came out alright. They released a song on the anniversary of the accident, which I still haven't brought myself to listen to yet. Even though I was not a fan of Ladies Code, it saddened me to know that two young ladies had passed.  

Since I've mentioned death, I guess I should also mention the event that most people have heard about: the Sewol Ferry Accident.  When the news first broke, I was overwhelmed with emotions. Anytime something of that magnitude happens, it's a shock for anyone witnessing. My sadness turned to anger and disappointment as media outlets reported that the captain and crew had abandoned ship, saving their own lives. What made it worse was that they had actually made an announcement, telling the passengers to stay on board the ship. That was not the worst of it, however, as the realization set in that most of the passengers on the ferry were high school students. I don't think there is any need to share my opinion on this issue, since I run with the majority on this one.  The captain was tried and has been sentenced to prison.  I personally think he should have gotten the death penalty.  So many of those kids, whose lives were only just beginning, could have been saved if the captain had not been such a coward. Even now, just thinking about it makes me upset.

To lighten the mood just a little bit, MBLAQ has not disbanded, but they are down to three members. Joon and Thunder did not renew their contracts with J.Tune Camp and as a result only Seungho (leader), G.O (main vocalist) and Mir (rapper) remain.  I wasn't too disappointed with the news. I can understand why both Joon and Thunder decided to leave, what with them falling so far behind in popularity while their competitors (Beast) rocketed to stardom. And the young men did not leave in the middle of their contracted time either.  They were at a point where they had every right to walk out. I think that this may have been the reason their fans wished them all the best on their separation. If we were to look at how this would change the dynamic of MBLAQ, I don't really see anything negative. For starters, all the talent needed for an idol group is still there: Seungho is a great vocalist and hip hop dancer, G.O is an excellent singer and Mir is an okay rapper. The music quality shouldn't go down. It should actually improve. Both Joon and Thunder might have had fans that only followed MBLAQ because they were a part of the group. But that number is not as high as one would expect. The only thing missing is Joon's abs, which they can do without.

Other major groups experienced member changes. EXO currently has only one Chinese member left. Kris, Luhan and Tao all left, in that order, and all three are currently embroiled in legal battles with SM. Jessica is no longer a member of Girls' Generation. The details are not clear, but what we do know is that a few months after her membership with SNSD dropped, she left SM Entertainment and is now fully focused on her fashion label. She has also mentioned returning to the entertainment industry, but there hasn't been any news on that. To be honest, I was pissed at first because Jessica was my favorite member of GG, but after hearing their new album, I must honestly confess, this one is better than all the other ones I've heard prior to it (even though Catch Me if You Can was a hot mess). Continuing down this path of members leaving their groups, Sulli has left f(x). She was embroiled in a dating scandal with Choiza (who is much older than she is) and she went on a hiatus. F(x) is supposed to be making their comeback soon and they made the announcement that the group would be making their comeback as a four member group. Red Velvet, SM Ent's newest addition to the family, started off as a four member group. While I do like their music, I haven't gotten around to learning the members. So when they added a fifth member, it kind of threw me off, but I'm happy to say that the music didn't suffer because of the changes.

2NE1 has been inactive for a very long time which is not really a shocker since this isn't the first time they've gone two years without any releases. This time, however, you can bet your bottom dollar that it has a lot to do with the fact that YG is focused on CL's American debut. Let's just state that Bom got into a controversy sometime in the last three years about some kind of illegal pharmaceutical that she brought into Korea.  Apparently, the drug is not illegal in the US, which is where she got it from, but it is in Korea and she was unaware of the situation.  Since then, we've heard nothing about her. Meanwhile, for the past two years, CL has been rubbing elbows with the some of the hot and some not so hot, American celebrities. No doubt, she's gathering public interest for her debut, if it ever comes.  Minzy has been taking over Instagram, and she recently started a school (good for her!). Dara has been focusing on the acting career she's always wanted. To be honest, I don't know how to feel about this situation. It seems like all the members are happy with their lives the way it is

Note: This post was written a long time ago...many of these stories have been updated in reality, although not in this particular post. I will be writing more very soon.