Fans Discuss 11 Of The Most Tortured K-Pop Fan Bases
While it can be great to be a K-Pop fan, it can also be really difficult when you see your favorite group struggling or being treated poorly or being disbanded. There are a number of reasons that fans “suffer” due to their favorites, whether it be from poor management, lack of comebacks, lineup changes, drama and scandals, and otherwise. There are some fandoms that have suffered through more of these than others, and fans recently chatted on a forum about the fandoms they think have gone through the most hardship. Here are 11 of their top choices.
(Note that this list will not include groups who have tragically lost members through suicide or car accidents out of respect for those that have passed away. The exception is f(x), but for reasons outside of Sulli’s passing.)
1. Queens (T-ARA)
T-ARA themselves have been through numerous ups and downs through the years, leaving fans feeling upset and worried for their sake. They started off successful, but after lineup changes and mistreatment when they tried to promote in the U.S., things seemed to go downhill. They lost the momentum they had built early on in South Korea, but finally got their first win in five years with their last 4 members in mid-2017 after Boram and Soyeon left the group. Unfortunately in December of 2017, however, the remaining 4 didn’t renew their contracts with their company, despite the win.
2. MeUs (f(x))
f(x) is a group that many fans think never got to thrive as much as they should have due to poor management. From not being given very many reality show opportunities, to lacking merch compared to other SM Entertainment groups, to barely any solo concerts even after 6 years in the business, to not even having a fandom name for 7 years, f(x) was really treated poorly despite their initial success.
3. Solbangul (SONAMOO)
SONAMOO, like many other groups in the industry, were starting to do well in their first years, especially between 2016-2017. Unfortunately, for some reason, TS Entertainment has given them next to nothing to promote since 2018, despite how much fans want it. 2 of the members have left so far, with only 5 remaining and fans unsure how long they’ll last.
4. Lullet (Cherry Bullet)
It’s always hard to lose members of your favorite group, and 3 of Cherry Bullet’s original members have left since their debut, leaving only 7. Some fans think that their most recent comeback after a 9-month wait was lackluster and that they deserved better.
5. Blackjack (2NE1)
This one shouldn’t be too surprising. Having 2NE1 get disbanded out of nowhere without warning after how much they brought to YG Entertainment was rough, to say the least, on both the members and fans of the group.
6. Merry-Go-Round (MOMOLAND)
MOMOLAND has long dealt with drama and scandals and accusations of mistreatment and abuse from their company, MLD Entertainment, especially with Yeonwoo, Taeha, and Daisy. The fact that the show to make the group, Finding MOMOLAND, was rigged is just another upset to loyal fans.
7. BLINK (BLACKPINK)
BLACKPINK hasn’t had a comeback in over a year now, despite how extremely successful and talented the girls are, leaving fans with only their painfully small discography to listen to over and over as BLINKs continue to wait for more musical content from them. To put it into perspective, they only have 1 more song to their name than PRISTIN — a group that disbanded a few years after their debut with very little discography themselves.
8. iKONICS (iKON)
iKON has had a slew of struggles since their debut, mostly in terms of being mistreated and abused by YG Entertainment. The members have been severely overworked during overseas promotions and lost popularity in Korea due to them, though they fortunately did finally manage to regain some popularity again in 2018. Tragically, after this, leader B.I left the group due to past drug rumors (whether on his own or if he was pressured to is still up for debate), which is always difficult for fans to handle.
9. Monbebes (MONSTA X)
Monbebes understandably struggled to accept Wonho leaving the group after allegations of unconfirmed past drug use came to the surface. He has since been cleared of charges, but it sounds like he won’t be returning to MONSTA X, which is sad for fans. The group also deals with an oddly high amount of hate from antis, which is also hard for Monbebes to deal with.
10. HIgh (PRISTIN)
PRISTIN is one of the most well-known cases of company mistreatment and poor management. Even with fast success since debut and a very promising career, the group was never properly promoted and rumors involving member Kyla being mistreated or kicked out soured people’s opinions towards Pledis Entertainment. Sadly they disbanded only a couple years after their debut despite such initial success, leaving fans upset and mourning what could have been.
11. Any Produce 101/MNET Show Group Fans (Wannable, WIZ*ONE, ONE IT, etc.)
Of course, the saddest part about being a fan of such groups is knowing they will eventually disband and go their separate ways (whether after their allotted time or, in X1’s case, way before their time). There have also been a lot of scandals and controversy about how the shows and group are rigged, which can be difficult for fans to handle.
