Do Male Celebrities Get Away With Controversies? Korean Netizens Call For More Ruthless Boycotts
Kim Soo Hyun’s recent controversy has reignited debates among Korean netizens about the entertainment industry and the public’s treatment of male celebrities.
Many have pointed out that male stars often seem to bounce back from scandals more easily than their female counterparts.
A recent post on TheQoo has gained massive traction for challenging the notion that male actors will inevitably return to their careers no matter the controversy. The original poster argued that such passive reactions from the public enable these celebrities to make comebacks, suggesting that if people actively spoke out and refused to support them, they wouldn’t be able to return so easily.
If people keep making a fuss and beating them down every time, then retirement will naturally happen. But if the reaction is like, ‘Oh well, they’ll just come back anyway~’ then they really do shamelessly crawl back out.
— TheQoo user
The post quickly went viral, accumulating over 80,000 views and sparking a heated discussion in the comments. Many netizens agreed that problematic male celebrities continue working due to public complacency, while others emphasized the need for harsher boycotts.
Kim Soohyun and every K- Men is pure evil. Especially in the entertainment industry. Senior idols ( women ) always say Male celebrities prey on younger idols but somehow people still treats them like GOD.even on Twitter people still supports thempic.twitter.com/NuOeZVxuAy
— Eclipse (@Gidle_x_nebobo) March 11, 2025
The entertainment industry in Korea is abnormal. Female celebrities are quickly canceled for absurd reasons, while male celebrities can return to the industry even after being caught cheating on their pregnant wives, driving under the influence, or visiting prostitution. https://t.co/CQBFqUj7Zt
— Translating misogyny in Korea (@translatingsk) March 11, 2025
Kim Soohyun is probably going to disappear tor 2-3 years and come back to a standing ovation and some awards show 'cause korean male celebrities never fully live with the consequences of their vile actions
— Aya⁷ ²⁰²⁵ 🍉🇿🇦 (@Yandii_27) March 11, 2025
Some pointed out that if the industry continues to cast these actors and their projects perform well, it becomes easier for their past scandals to be overlooked. Others stressed that consumers have power — by refusing to watch or support actors with controversial histories, they can influence the industry’s decisions.
- “Male celebrities who cause major scandals should never be allowed back in the industry.”
- “Instead of saying, ‘Wow, they’ve got some real nerve crawling back out here,’ we should be saying, ‘Are you out of your mind? Do you think the world is that easy? Where do you think you’re crawling back to, you piece of trash?’ and completely tearing them apart.”
- “We need to go all out with boycotts, but male actors can easily get roles that suit them, and if their projects do well, they get whitewashed again. The moment they’re even rumored to be in a casting discussion, we need to raise hell.”
- “Even if the men try to protect each other, if we don’t consume their work, they’ll eventually stop getting cast. The industry isn’t running itself. We need to stop supporting projects that cast problematic stars, even if our absolute favorite male celebrities co-star in them. If we stop supporting them, they’ll disappear. It’s not like celebrities are in some boycott-proof field.”
- “Stop avoiding the issue like cowards and stop consuming their work. Raise hell instead, seriously. We need to go after those men as viciously as they went after Jun Hyo Seong.”
The debate also drew comparisons to how female celebrities have been treated in similar situations. What are your thoughts?
