Stars of K-pop must be allowed to fall in loveBy Juliana Liu / Bloomberg OpinionK-pop’s biggest-ever comeback tour, the return of the super boyband BTS, has been hijacked by a dating scandal. Just to be clear: Nobody is accused of any actual wrongdoing, but to some fervent devotees, dating is a crime. Superfans’ reactions to “betrayal” by their favorite artists is rooted in the business model of K-pop, which emerged in the 1990s in South Korea. The return of BTS on the back of a US$1 billion tour could push K-pop toward an inflection point in the original business model. Dogged by whispers of dating a rapper, singer Manon was allowed to cleverly end the speculation in her own voice.

Source: Taipei Times January 16, 2026 17:00 UTC