In the first half of 2025, these four high-profile stars - Kim Soo Hyun, Baek Jong Won, NewJeans, and Son Heung Min - found themselves at the center of controversies that, according to Korean netizens, severely damaged their public image.
Each was involved in headline-making scandals that dominated online discussions: from Kim Soo Hyun’s rumored past relationship with the late actress Kim Sae Ron during her underage years, to Baek Jong Won’s mounting criticism over his company The Born Korea, to NewJeans’ ongoing legal dispute with ADOR, and most recently, Son Heung Min’s blackmail incident involving his alleged ex-girlfriend.
One netizen compiled major article headlines highlighting these events and noted that all four had once been nearly untouchable top stars in Korean pop culture.
The netizen explained, "I didn’t include photos because I didn’t want to see them. This post isn't about comparing the scale of the controversies. It’s not about who deserves to be on this list or not. It's just surprising because these were all top stars who were previously seen as untouchable and heavily protected in online communities."
Other netizens joined the online discussion and also agreed with this opinion and commented:
"Why is NewJeans in there? That's a bit random."
"It said public opinion changed, not that they caused a huge scandal."
"They're divided by category, lol."
"Do people have reading issues? Whether it's crime or not, the key point is the reversal of public opinion, lol. People even said 'NewJeans is power'."
"Did people not read the title? 'Public opinion completely flipped in online communities.'"
"Public opinion indeed flipped, but it still feels off to stick a girl group between those guys. There's a disconnect."
"NewJeans actually fits perfectly, no? Their image and public opinion were flipped."
"NewJeans being here is too much… am I the only one still waiting for their comeback?"
"It's agreeable that all four had ultra-high public images that totally collapsed."
"Those four really are peak cases of flipped public opinion. You rarely see this happen, and all in one year too."
"I feel bad for NewJeans."
"NewJeans didn't commit any crimes, but it is true that their public image was completely changed this year."
"It's shocking that all these things happened. 2025 is not a good year."
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