News
2025 Year in Review: K-pop and celebrity scandals in 2025
Photo Inside Page
Photos
What many expected to be a calmer, more hopeful year in Korean entertainment turned into something far heavier. Instead of stories about comebacks and creative wins, 2025 kept delivering moments that felt unsettling, even exhausting, one controversy into the next, often involving the industry's biggest and most familiar faces.
Scandals and public backlash have always existed in the Hallyu world, but this year felt different in tone. Allegations quickly became investigations, stars quietly disappeared from shows, and old issues resurfaced just when people thought they had been laid to rest. Online spaces rarely had a moment to breathe, with every update dissected, debated, and shared endlessly, leaving many fans feeling overwhelmed rather than entertained.
Beyond the headlines, people began paying closer attention to the kind of pressure that comes with being constantly seen and judged. The nonstop spotlight opened up more honest conversations about accountability, boundaries, and taking care of mental and emotional health. As the year started to wind down, 2025 felt less like a dark chapter and more like a pause, a chance for the industry and its audience to reflect, reset, and move toward something healthier and more sustainable moving forward.
Here's a look at the scandals that defined the year, and the discussions they left behind.
