K-pop stars confirmed to be dating in an unprecedented announcement

In what appears to be a bit of an anomaly in the K-pop world, it has been announced that Exo’s Kai and Blackpink’s Jennie are officially dating. SM Entertainment, Exo’s agency, confirmed the coupling in a statement, saying: “Kai and Jennie have become fond of each other”. Both artists are members of immensely popular South Korean pop bands. The news of their relationship was first reported by a local tabloid in South Korea called Dispatch, which released photos of the two singers supposedly after a date. Usually K-pop artists, often referred to as “idols”, are not allowed to date, as stipulated in their contracts. Aspiring idols often go through a rigorous training process and dating is viewed as a distraction. Even once fully trained, they’re told to keep their personal lives away from the public. Just a few months ago, controversy arose when stars HyunA and E’Dawn were revealed to have been in a relationship for two years but had hidden it from their label, Cube Entertainment. The label responded by saying they would terminate the contracts of both stars. A statement read: “After much discussion, the judgment was made that it is not possible to recover the faith with the two artists.” While backlash from fans seemingly caused Cube Entertainment to reverse the decision, both artists left the label in late 2018. HyunA and E’Dawn’s turmoil, and consequent support from fans, however, seems to show a shift in attitude in South Korean society. When news broke of Kai and Jennie’s new relationship, fans were overjoyed. It seems the days when diehard fans would be upset to know their favourite artists are in a relationship may be coming to an end.