Korean citizens use the Real Research Korea app to vote on various topics. Recently, they voted on celebrities who should never return to entertainment. The survey gathered 3,507 votes in total. Voters could choose multiple celebrities on the list.
1. Seungri and soloist Go Young Wook tied for first place. Both received 66.4% of votes against their return to the industry.
Seungri took part in the infamous “Burning Sun” scandal in 2019. This ranks as one of the biggest scandals in Korean entertainment history. He worked as director at the Burning Sun club where many serious incidents occurred. Courts sentenced him to one and a half years in prison for his involvement. Since his release, he continues to make negative headlines.
2. Go Young Wook may be less famous than Seungri but committed equally serious offenses. He received a conviction for improper conduct with three minors between 2010 and 2012. This led to a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence in 2013. After release, he wore an ankle monitor for three years. His status as an offender stayed public for five years. In 2020, he tried joining social media but Instagram quickly banned him. Recently, he started a YouTube channel but fans immediately protested. The platform shut down his channel due to the backlash.
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3. Steve Yoo (also called Yoo Seung Jun) ranks third with 55.8% of votes against him. His case differs from the first two but remains serious to Koreans. He promised multiple times to complete his mandatory military service. Instead, he obtained U.S. citizenship to avoid serving. Korea deported him and banned him from entering the country again. He still fights to return to his homeland today.
4. Singer G.NA holds fourth place with 40.8% of votes. She stands as the only woman in the top five. In 2016, she became involved in a scandal with a businessman in the United States. She reportedly received ₩35.0 million KRW (about $26,400 USD). G.NA denies direct involvement in improper activities. She claims a friend who worked as a broker lent her money. This friend later asked her to meet the businessman as repayment. G.NA says she believed the meeting was for romantic purposes.
5. Singer MC Mong completes the list with 37.6% of votes against him. Like Steve Yoo, he allegedly tried to avoid military service. He reportedly had healthy teeth removed after delaying enlistment for seven years. The court gave him one year of probation. They couldn’t fully prove he removed teeth to avoid service. Despite his music success, many Koreans still disapprove of his actions.
What are your thoughts on these celebrities? Should they ever work in entertainment again?
