Korean and Bullying : Why is it such a big deal for Korean Netizen.

    (p/s) this thread is NOT pointing to any idol involved and i will still stand with soojin and mingyu until theres an actual evidence or further clarification from company.


    So first let read this reddit post to get some basic information and background about bullying in Korea


    https://www.reddit.com/r/kpopt…roid_app&utm_source=share


    maybe ppl wonder why idol get accused so easily and people will fall for it even sometimes its not true, its because idol have all the criteria of typical korean bullys which is good-looking.

    Here are some examples:

    • If you’re “not pretty/good looking/cute/etc.” by some form of standard in Asia, you’ve got a higher chance of being bullied. This is something along the lines of what the mindset is for that: “If you’re not pretty/cute/etc., then there must something wrong with you, right?” Or, “They don’t look after themselves, they must be unhygienic or poor…or both. I don’t want to be around/I can’t be seen with someone like that.”
    • Due to Asia’s education culture; the mindset around that is: “If you don’t have good grades then you must be dumb and won’t go to university to get a good job.”
    • Social status and finical standing is a big thing in Asia. If your parents are rich and have good jobs then it could go two ways; you’re either more likely to have lots of “friends” or people are going to resent you because you have it better off.

    There’s more factors too but I’ve only listed the main three and brief description that is most likely related to idol.

    a lot of yall wonder why knetz/gp freak out and quickly cancel someone whenever theres bullying accusation come especially when it comes to celebrity (both idol and actor&actress)....ifans are complaining why "bullying during school" is taken more seriously compared to CA or etc...


    its because Korea have the highest rate of suicide. And bullying is among the highest factor that lead to suicide. Its not only limited to student but also adult (bullying between co-workers exist).

    https://www.koreabiomed.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=4924

    https://worldofbuzz.com/pretty…-at-work-commits-suicide/


    And also, since current generation is also so invested with woke up movement (Me Too and etc), its normal for public to side with the vicitim even if theres no proof yet (thats why company play a really big and important role on how they going to manage the whole issues).


    What is your opinion about bullying in Korea ??


    I don't how things are in Korea obviously. But there's something really shady in how things work there.

    If bullying is so commonplace in Korea, it means most kids if not all have witnessed occurrences of bullying. What have they done about it? All these people who rabidly go after any celebrity accused of bullying, what did they do when they witnessed a bullying case in their school? Did they move a finger? If they did, there would be no more bullying then, or way less. But it's not the case apparently.


    Therefore what I understand of the situation is: Koreans act tough when it comes to throw someone to the wolves in the social media, but when something happens right in front of them, everyone looks the other way in a second. That's pretty messed up.

    Of course this is only my opinion, but I think one of the things that play into school and workplace bullying is Koreas hierarchy of age. If you are older you automatically expect your younger classmates or workers to respect you and because of that they abuse it. Also Koreas placing importance of looks and wealth; if you are prettier or wealthier you get people just being "nice" to you because of that, so then some use that as a way to bully others.

    Quote from selfmate

    and i like to add its not just bullying at school

    there sre a lotof examples of bullying elsewhere - workplace for one


    Quote from Alex_Murphy

    I don't how things are in Korea obviously. But there's something really shady in how things work there.

    If bullying is so commonplace in Korea, it means most kids if not all have witnessed occurrences of bullying. What have they done about it? All these people who rabidly go after any celebrity accused of bullying, what did they do when they witnessed a bullying case in their school? Did they move a finger? If they did, there would be no more bullying then, or way less. But it's not the case apparently.


    Therefore what I understand of the situation is: Koreans act tough when it comes to throw someone to the wolves in the social media, but when something happens right in front of them, everyone looks the other way in a second. That's pretty messed up.

    The bullying cases are way less now there (thats what states on the article idk about the stats) with the present of social media where we can easily make things viral and awareness.


    But this is how i see it :

    Since the allegation is happening in the past which is maybe around 2000-2010 (that was when the bullying cases among teenagers on south korea is at its peaked), people will quickly jump into conclusion "oh so she/he also one of them" leading to cancel culture without even doing further research or wait for more evidence.


    Also to make thing worst, KPOP idol is never been a respected figure there (in case u didnt know that). Actor and Variety Star is way more respected compared to idol n knetz have these kind of mindset that idol is not educated (http://netizenbuzz.blogspot.co…raging-words-for.html?m=1) which is obviously fucked up bcz idol work their asses off to be successfull too. But again that's another factor that lead to all the cybertroops attacking idols whenever theres any bullying allegation.

    Quote from quark12395

    This is what happens when you structure your society around any type of hierarchy and directly tie wealth and beauty into character.


    I also think the push for celebrities to be "punished" is just netizens trying to live vicariously through victims and get revenge.

    Korean/Japanese daily life is heavily influenced with lack of individualism in Eastern cultures. In East Asia, cultures are extremely conformist (collectivist) with South Korea scoring the highest on the global spectrum of collectivism. Japan as well, while not as extreme, is still a fairly collectivist culture due to the fact they still have remnants of Confucian and other Eastern ideology incorporated in their culture: Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions (1973).


    Off topic but this also explained why they are majority homophobic and also why drug is such a big deal there.

    I don't think ignoring abuse (as long as it isn't you) is endemic to just asia, but I would say it is more accepted. The worst of this example is the case of Junko Furuta, she was teenager kidnapped and raped/tortured for over a month and some classmates participated in/witnessed it so I'm sure a lot of students at her school knew. Not to mention she was kept in the house that her kidnappers parents lived in. During her murder investigation it was known that a lot of people knew what was happening to her but kept silent. There wasn't really a public outcry about that at all in Japan. It is sad that such an attitude is accepted and sometimes even encouraged.

    Is cyberbullying not consider bullying? I find the reaction to any bullying scandals ironic seeing the way kfans are online... comments on korean sites are often vicious and cruel esp for those that they deem to not fit within their standards or expectations.

    pretty ppl gets bullied too cause they are pretty and getting attention compared to avg kids.

    Topper gets bullied too cause they are praised by teachers and are a model student so other get compared to them.

    Rich kids gets bullied too simply cause they have money and bullies can force money out of them.


    I said the same in other thread, stereotyping should stop and we need to look into the cause of this bullying. It's mostly insecurities, we should look for a way to let these kids know the beauty is subjective and it's not everything, studying is not just about books and subjects, it's fine if you have intrst in something else which can be a profession and money is not everything.

    Like every year there is always a “bullying” scandal. Like the Korean industry is the only place where I lowkey see this. Like there’s no way any scandal like this would become popular in America lol

    Quote from Alex_Murphy

    I don't how things are in Korea obviously. But there's something really shady in how things work there.

    If bullying is so commonplace in Korea, it means most kids if not all have witnessed occurrences of bullying. What have they done about it? All these people who rabidly go after any celebrity accused of bullying, what did they do when they witnessed a bullying case in their school? Did they move a finger? If they did, there would be no more bullying then, or way less. But it's not the case apparently.


    Therefore what I understand of the situation is: Koreans act tough when it comes to throw someone to the wolves in the social media, but when something happens right in front of them, everyone looks the other way in a second. That's pretty messed up.

    I'm going to disagree with you. Not only in Korea but all over the world kids (in that case - middle schoolers and teenagers) are afraid to speak up. Talking to principle/director might only get them in trouble sometimes,confronting the bully will make that bully pick on them too. That's why most kids will just mind their business and do nothing out of fear. That's the exact same reason victims are staying quiet and aren't saying anything either. Stop thinking it's so easy to fight again violence when you're so scared for yourself. Not everything look as easy as you might think

    Quote from reina-en

    I'm going to disagree with you. Not only in Korea but all over the world kids (in that case - middle schoolers and teenagers) are afraid to speak up. Talking to principle/director might only get them in trouble sometimes,confronting the bully will make that bully pick on them too. That's why most kids will just mind their business and do nothing out of fear. That's the exact same reason victims are staying quiet and aren't saying anything either. Stop thinking it's so easy to fight again violence when you're so scared for yourself. Not everything look as easy as you might think

    I understand it's not that easy. However, if being weak and scared is a valuable excuse for doing nothing, then we have nothing to say against people who collaborated with the nazis during WWII. They were weak and scared too. Yet it's commonplace to shame them.

    But there's a moment where you have to make a stand for yourselves. And for the others. If a class of 10, 15 or 20 can't stand against one bully, then obviously everything is doomed. It looks like Korean school is a very individualistic environment. Kids have classmates but they're barely friends you can rely on. If it's so, then don't bother, there's no solution.


    Plus, I'll say it again: it's very hypocritical not to move a finger because you're scared when shit happens right in front of you but going full keyboard warrior once you're home.

    Are you for real? Calling victims of abuse and witnesses, all of them kids, weak? The comparison of kids being bullied with some world war is ridiculous, let's not get there.


    You're talking about children here. Middle school is 10-13 years old. You're expecting from kids to have your or my mindset and act like adults. Kids have fears. Not even kids, adults do so too. If someone was threatening my own safety, risking my life at the age of 12, I'd stay quiet too. It's sad yeah, but it's what society does to us. Silence us in order to protect ourselves, but that's a whole another topic for some other time.


    Right now the littlest problem is who spoke up and who didn't while all those problems were occurring

    Quote from reina-en

    Are you for real? Calling victims of abuse and witnesses, all of them kids, weak?

    You said they were afraid and did nothing out of fear. Yes, it's a weakness, there's nothing controversial, just like being brave is a strength.

    Victims are kids, but so are their bullies too. There's not necessarily a power imbalance here therefore it's not that relevant. All I'm saying is there should be some solidarity between classmates. But it's a cultural thing I guess. Where I come from, bullying (to the extent of what's going on in Korea) wouldn't have happened because between classmates there was a comradeship. If parents and society don't instill this sense of comradeship in their kids, then it's doomed. As you make your bed, so you must lie on it.

    Quote from sparkkay

    Like every year there is always a “bullying” scandal. Like the Korean industry is the only place where I lowkey see this. Like there’s no way any scandal like this would become popular in America lol

    In the US we also have school shootings, so if you bully someone you better know if they have access to a gun or not. Society, schools, and parents also are not supposed to tolerate bullying either anymore. We have education against it and encourage witnesses to stand against it. It’s not always effective, but at least it is there.

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