“To err is human. Everyone makes mistakes. We live and learn from experience — even if we have to do it the hard way.”

Or so we are told. This adage does not always apply to public figures, especially for those in Korea. From celebrities and politicians to social media influencers and entrepreneurs, those who spend a considerable portion of their lives in the limelight have fallen victim to the so-called “cancel culture” — the act of ostracizing a person or body out of professional or social circles, as if cancelling a contract or arrangement, after a single controversy. Korean society has been notoriously unforgiving towards any kind of misdeed; it is nearly impossible for celebrities with a tarnished reputation to regain the public’s favor. What is more disheartening is the apparent replaceability of these celebrities. Even before an official clarification or apology is released, requests to remove that member from their group flood the internet; brands that have them as official ambassadors remove their pictures from promotional materials. In more than a few instances, this outlook has led to devastating results, including suicide. But before we could start talking about how to address it, we need to know what exactly triggers this behavior.

In Korea, a big part of the harsh judgment against celebrities seems to stem from the perception of celebrities as literal idols. Korean celebrities are expected to keep a flawless image, and thus any serious controversies would deem them unfit of this “idol” status. Any misdeed that meets strong public condemnation can provoke a “cancellation”. Recently, ex-AOA leader Jimin Shin was cancelled for bullying another ex-AOA member, Mina Kwon, for 10 years, and Red Velvet’s leader and visual Irene was cancelled for her gapjil (power abuse) scandal after a stylist exposed her rude behavior to staff over the past few years. Other instances of cancellations include involvement with drug smuggling, such as the cases of former 2NE1 member Park Bom and former leader of iKON B.I, as well as dating scandals, such as the case of the late former f(x) visual Sulli. In all of these cases, the celebrities had committed acts that the Korean public are very sensitive about.

While in some cases, there seems to be a “justified” reason to cancel an idol, many times the cancellation is not so black-and-white. For instance, almost everyone was in favor of Jimin’s cancellation, considering how much damage her abuse dealt to Mina’s mental health, the duration of her abuse, and her apparent lack of remorse. It is also difficult to sympathize with Seungri after his Burning Sun controversy last year, due to the scale of the obvious legal crime he committed. However, in many instances, an idol could lose their hard-earned reputation because they did something that does not actually break any laws, but goes against what the public considers “proper” for them. The late Sulli is a victim of this notion. She started getting massive public hate after her dating scandal with Dynamic Duo Choiza in 2014. Choiza, who was much older and came from a lesser-known hip hop group, was deemed a bad influence for Sulli. She left f(x) shortly after, which led to the group’s long hiatus and eventual silent disbandment. Her reputation deteriorated further after she spoke up against misogynistic conventions, such as posting pictures without wearing a bra and advocating for abortion rights. Due to her controversial “antics”, Sulli endured extreme cyberbullying until her passing last year.

International fans might find it difficult to understand why Korean celebrities have to follow these draconian codes of conduct, but this is inevitably tied to the traditional values of the Korean society. Korean Confucianism, which dates back to the Goryeo period, puts an emphasis on the importance of family and sacrificing one’s needs for the common good. Since Koreans themselves are expected to follow a strict code of ethics, which include absolute reverence to elders and maintaining a flawless public image, it only makes sense for Korean idols to be governed by an even stricter guideline. Ultimately, the cancel culture in the Korean entertainment industry is just the tip of the iceberg; what’s more important is how it exposes the hidden flaws of Korean society. While completely uprooting Korea from its Confucian principles is difficult and unrealistic, we can only hope that the younger Korean generation would become more appreciative of individuality and accept celebrities for who they really are: humans with feelings and flaws.