The 4th generation of Kpop: why they are losing public favor and arising issues

As the Kpop industry continuously expands, newer issues also arise. In the 4th generation of Kpop, the public seems to find more controversies than ever, and cited the below reasons as “prevalent problems” in 4th gen groups.

Younger debut ages

There have been more and more young 4th gen idols who debuted at a young age recently, such as LE SSERAFIM’s Eunchae (2006), NewJeans’s Hyein (2008), IVE’s Leeseo (2007), and CLASS:y’s Boeun and Seonyou (2008). Due to their young age, these idols’ group face certain limits in their concepts, as they may face serious scrutiny should they make any mistake with a minor involved. 

Attitude and personality scandals 

Despite the 4th generation only recently flourishing, numerous Kpop idols have stumbled into attitude and personality scandals. For example, LE SSERAFIM’s former member Kim Garam, (G)I-DLE’s Soojin, ITZY’s Lia, and Stray Kids’ Hyunjin have all been accused of school bullying, as well as allegations of violence use and delinquency. 

While these accusations may not be true, they can still ruin the image of the group, leading to cancellation. Soojin and Kim Garam ended up having to depart from the idol life, while Lia and Hyunjin, while still active, are drowned in criticisms. 

Meanwhile, aespa’s NingNing was scrutinized for her actions before debut, like allegedly receiving money from fans and mentioning a male idol. She was also recently buried in criticism for hanging out with male friends. 

Breaching into different fields 

Kpop idols have been trying to enter other fields, like painting, acting, and modeling, for ages. However, in previous generations, these often only happen after they have debuted for a while, and their groups have established a stable footing in the idol industry. 

Meanwhile, 4th gen idol groups see members branching into different fields right after debut, and LE SSERAFIM is a prime example, as amid controversies surrounding Kim Garam, other members like Sakura, Kazuha, and Chaewon are already attending fashion events. Meanwhile, Wonyoung and Yujin of IVE also receive numerous individual advertisement deals and personal schedules. 

Many groups, such as TXT, aespa, ITZY or NMIXX, have also set their first moves in the fashion world. However, they haven’t made any remarkable impression to the public compared to their seniors.

As the newest generation of K-pop, the public are raising high expectations for 4th gen idols to rewrite the history like their seniors did. Solving all the existing problems, they would definitely grow bigger in the near future.