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On Friday, January 19, several K-pop idols unfollowed the soloist HyunA, including EXID's Hani, Sunmi, 2AM's Jo Kwon, and more. The K-pop soloist was under fire for her recent Instagram post that showcased her holding hands with the former BEAST and Highlight member, Yong Jun-hyung. The post's reference was unveiled, and netizens contemplated two possibilities. It either hinted at the two dating or announced an upcoming collaboration between them.
Regardless, netizens were displeased with her association with Yong Jun-hyung due to his previous involvement in the Burning Sun scandal, a controversy that took over the internet back in 2019. Yong Jun-hyung was allegedly part of a group chat consisting of K-celebrities who shared non-consensual and explicit videos of women being s*xually abused.
Fans were shocked to see HyunA's connection to the idol, especially since her career has majorly advocated for women's empowerment. While there hasn't been any confirmation about the two's relationship from their agencies, several K-pop idols known to be friends of HyunA allegedly unfollowed her on Instagram, following the surface of the controversy.
Several K-pop idols allegedly unfollowed K-pop soloist HyunA after her Instagram post with Yong Jun-hyung
On January 18, HyunA took to her Instagram account to post a picture of her and Yong Jun-hyung, the former member of BEAST and Highlight, holding hands while walking by the beach. The post immediately sparked several controversies on the internet as netizens debated whether the post was a collaboration announcement or a hint of their relationship.
The relationship between the two continues to remain unclear, as the idols' agencies have yet to confirm or deny the rumors. Regardless, fans were unhappy with the fact that HyunA posted a picture of her and Yong Jun-hyung, due to his involvement in the Burning Sun scandal.
In 2019, a group of K-pop idols were involved with the Gangnam bar owned by the former BIGBANG member, Seungri. These celebrities, Jung Joon-young, Yong Jun-hyung, and Choi Jong-hoon, were accused of maintaining a group chat where non-consensual and s*xual videos of women visiting the Burning Sun bar were passed around. During the investigations, Jun-hyung confessed to having watched the videos that were being passed around in the group chat.
However, since the idol wasn't involved in filming these videos, he was legally declared innocent and only ended up facing the consequences of his temporary resignation from the industry and his departure from the group Highlight. Even after the idol's return to the industry in 2022 as a soloist, netizens reportedly continued to criticize and boycott him.
Therefore, when HyunA, the K-pop soloist who's been the biggest advocate of women's empowerment and rights in the K-pop industry, posted a picture with Jun-hyung, netizens weren't happy. While some netizens were still unsure about where to stand with the controversy, several K-pop idols and K-celebrity friends of the soloist allegedly unfollowing her on Instagram have caused netizens to talk more about the topic.
Here are all the celebrities who have allegedly unfollowed the idol so far:
- EXID's Hani
- Sunmi
- 2AM's Jo Kwon
- Former Miss A's Meng Jia
- DREAMCATCHER's Jiu
- JKT48 Gracia
- Marian Rivera
- CL
- TWICE's Nayeon
- Chuu
- ATEEZ
- NCT Taeil
- MILA
More K-pop celebrities who were friends and acquaintances of the idol are continuing to allegedly unfollow the idol in light of the controversy that surfaced on the internet. Given that HyunA's close relations have begun to allegedly showcase their displeasure with the idol and her recent controversy, more netizens have also begun to see the issue in a serious light.
Following the same, fans have begun to fire up their criticism towards the soloist for her actions that allegedly add to the disrespect and harm raised towards women involved in the Burning Sun scandal.
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