The “Stupidest” K-Pop Controversies That Caused Nothing But Drama

In the wild world of K-Pop, where even the smallest missteps can spark global outrage, some controversies attract so much attention that fans still remember them many years later. On the popular subreddit r/kpopthoughts, a user asked fans to share what they believe are the “stupidest,” most “overblown” scandals. Here are # of them:

1. TWICE Tzuyu’s Flag

One of the controversies fans mentioned took place ten years ago, when Tzuyu was 16 years old. In an episode of My Little Television broadcast by MBC, TWICE’s members were asked to hold up a flag of their country of origin. Tzuyu, who was born in Taiwan, greeted online viewers as Taiwanese and held up a Republic of China flag.

Tzuyu holding the controversial flag | MBC

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2.  W Korea

While it has been a campaign to support breast cancer awareness, W Korea‘s annual “Love Your W” charity event caused public outrage in 2025. Many netizens felt that the campaign strayed away from its original intent as celebrities were seen drinking and partying at a charity event.

Controversial W Korea Party Invites 100 Celebrities, Triggers Backlash

However, some of the 100 celebrities in attendance were hit with more criticism than others.

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3. Epik High Tablo’s Stanford Scandal

In 2010, netizens incited a witch hunt, falsely accusing Tablo of fabricating his Stanford University bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Despite providing official transcripts, police investigations, and Stanford’s confirmation, the harassment continued for months.

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4. IVE Wonyoung’s Strawberry Incident

TikTok user DaeraDaera posted a video of himself poking fun at how Wonyoung ate a strawberry during an episode of The Manager (also known as Omniscient Interfering View).

IVE’s Wonyoung

The innocent and cute clip of the K-Pop star went viral and attracted some negative thoughts more than once.

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5. ENHYPEN’s “Bite Me” Backlash

In 2023, the choreography for ENHYPEN’s hit song “Bite Me” led to boycotts, protests, and outrage…

ENHYPEN’s Sunghood performing “Bite Me”

…because of the sexy concept and female dancers.

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