I understand the idea of parasocial relationships in K-pop: fans feel close to idols, and companies protect that fantasy because it sells. So I get why boy groups often avoid having a clear female love interest in music videos, because it might make some fans feel excluded or jealous.

In the article “Musicians, the Music Industry, and Suicide” by Musgrave and Lamis (2025), the authors discuss how musicians, including K-pop #idols, can face serious mental health risks because of pressure, perfectionism, cyberbullying, and exhausting industry expectations.

I read two different articles that show the contradiction of the Hagwon system. In the first article they talk about how spending on private education has jumped 60 % over the past decade. www.koreatimes.co.kr/economy/2026... koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2026-03...

#China once fined families for having “too many” children, and now it cannot even pay people enough to want them. That says a lot about how the social construction of having children has changed. edition.cnn.com/2025/08/05/c...

I read this article about how Japan is redesigning tourism to benefit the local communities. The problem is that the stays are concentrated on only five prefectures. www.weforum.org/stories/2025...

#Jennie from BlackPink has made a really successful deal with #Chanel already in 2018 and has been continuing that ever since. It is estimated that being and ambassador for Chanel Jennie makes around 4.3 billion won. www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXWJ...

I read this article about how conservative South Korean lawmakers want immigration authorities to publish crime statistics on foreign nationals, broken down by nationality and visa status. Those who oppose this fear that these measures could fuel xenophobia. www.scmp.com/news/asia/ea...

I think #K-pop has definitely become more mainstream lately, but that does not mean it has lost its uniqueness. To me, the distinctive K-pop style still feels very recognizable.

I picked SM Entertainment. Its founder was Lee Soo-man. He actually started out as a singer, then studied in the U.S., and after seeing how music was becoming more visual there, especially with MTV, he came back to Korea with a much bigger idea. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kAF...

I read this article about workers who make #Labubu toys, and what stood out to me was how the story was framed. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Kim Gwang-seok was not only very popular, but also a really influential folk-rock singer, and he first started his career in the group Dongmulwon, which debuted in 1988 and became widely successful.

I saw this Unseen Japan post about how a poll made by Rohto Pharmaceuticals shoes that for the first time in history the percentage of women who didn't want children exceeded that of men with women fearing how that will impact their career.

Park’s rule reached far beyond politics. It also shaped culture and music, showing how power tried to control not only people’s lives, but also their voices.

The Korean Kittens especially, Yoon Bok-hee was and still is an extraordinary performer during the 1960s and onwards with her strong performance and voice.

I read this article about the ongoing trend of “Chinamaxxing” with some Gen Z Americans and how that has shifted how the American see China. www.npr.org/2026/03/13/n...

Choi Seung-Hee was a colonial era dancer and moderniser. Her styles included ballet and modern dance as well as traditional Korean danced styles mixed

I read this article about Takeshima day and how it still a dispute of the territory. This article is clearly written from the point of view that showcases the problem being South Korea and Japan as the victim.

I think that how reasonable or unreasonable it is to expect nationalism is dependent on the context. For example it is more understandable to be offended by something that has a deep historical meaning for example the Rising Sun flag for the Koreans.

I read this article regarding how Taiwanese people are seeing they identity being Taiwanese and not Chinese. In this article it the Chinese goverment use many different ways of blaming the system and people thediplomat.com/2023/12/the-...

In this post fans of Jungkook (BTS) fans discuss the incident where Jungkook got drunk and was maybe out of his character while being in the pressence of the army and fans.

I just read this article about a homosexual couple in China that posed in public as a father and son before the older part of the couple died which sparked a tricky legal situation. www.scmp.com/news/people-...

Just read this article about South Korea’s birthrate rising for a second year. The Guardian says births rose to 254,500 in 2025, the fertility rate rose from 0.75 to 0.80, and experts link the rise mainly to “echo boomers” now reaching their early 30s www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

I read this article about why many people in South Korea are upset that former president Yoon Suk Yeol got a life sentence and not the death penalty. The story is from The Guardian, a UK newspaper that is often seen as liberal or left-leaning. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

The term "idol" is a big term that is usually percieved as something or someone that people look up to or really emphasise with. In the context of K-pop it makes sense that the word "Idol" is used. The expectations of perfection and relationship with the fans needs to be on a certain level.