Lately there has been a lot of focus on the immense pressure K-Pop idols are under - members leaving their groups, extreme diets, plastic surgeries, scandals and rumors. Some idols have been outspoken, like f(x)'s Krystal in a recent interview, others seem to be suffering in silence.
And it is not just the entertainment agencies, fans have also been a little too hard on their favorite singers - expectations are high, perfection is demanded.
It seems like as we lead up to
EXO's highly anticipated comeback at the end of the month,
EXO-Mleader
Kris has been the subject of the most recent internet rumors.
On May 24, according to Entertainment Radar on Nate News, that the leader of a popular idol group had momentarily left his group after declaring he "could not promote in a group any longer."
The article went on to say that the group's agency went through a rather difficult period trying to convince the singer to return, which he ultimately did.
Some industry insiders said, "He seems to have gone through a crisis after realizing that the reality of idol life is different from what he had dreamt of. Unlike the situation several years ago, idol groups haven't been receiving the same attention, which we believe played a part in his decision."
While the article did not name Kris as the artist of focus, the netizen responses soon started pouring in.
"EXO-M's leader Kris is a Chinese Canadian and he randomly went on hiatus to Canada without consulting anyone, which made the group delay their March comeback. The rest of the members practiced without Kris while he was gone. SM then persuaded him to finally come back, which is how EXO Is finally making their comeback," said one of the first comments - then the attacks poured in.
Just as with Krystal's recent comments about how the pressures of being an idol are making her miserable got a lot of negative remarks from netizens, Kris has also been criticized.
A lot of responders called for the agency to sue the singer for breaking his contract. Others have referred to the EXO-M leader as "selfish" and "irresponsible." Very few, however, have come to his defense.
Perhaps what is worse, Kris has gotten a rather unappealing nickname, "Kbalnom." It is in reference to his name plus the word 'shibalnom,' which means 'bastard.'
There has, of course, been no confirmation from
SM Entertainment that these rumors are indeed about Kris, and it is unlikely we will ever know the real truth. But with very little (if any) evidence to back them up, aren't netizens going a little too far?
Hopefully this new batch of rumors and hateful comments from internet users will not have a negative affect on EXO's comeback on May 30, but until then, we will just have to wait and see what happens.
kpopstarz
