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K-pop idols are held to a different standard of perfection when compared to other celebrities. Therefore, they go through strenuous hours of training and coaching just to ensure they live up to their idol status.
Due to the nature of their job, idol dating has always been a controversial and touchy topic. Most idols do not have time to date and those that prefer to keep their dating lives out of view of the public eye for fear of the reactions.
Although things have drastically improved now, with many idols openly dating and even getting married, that number is still a minority. This privilege is only given to idols who have established themselves in the K-pop industry. However, this rule is not followed by all companies.
Different agencies have different norms and rules in dating. This article will take a look at the dating rules at the Big 3 companies: JYP Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and SM Entertainment.
To date or not to date: A look into the dating rules for K-pop idols at the Big 3 companies
1) YG Entertainment
It is a well-known fact that YG Entertainment K-pop idols were banned from dating for a limited period of time. In 2017, on the show JYP Party People, the members of BLACKPINK revealed that they were strictly warned not to date by the company. However, in 2016, former IKON member B.I., while on You Hee-yeol’s Sketchbook, jokingly mentioned that these rules are only for rookies who are not bringing in money.
Once the money starts pouring in, the rules start to become less stringent. This might be one of the reasons why BLACKPINK’s Jennie’s dating history with EXO’s Kai was not turned into a huge issue. iKON’s Bobby was also able to freely get married and have a child while continuing his activities as part of the group.
In 2017, AKMU, a brother-sister duo under YG Entertainment, stated on the show Please Take Care Of My Refrigerator that the company never asked them to follow any dating rules, which also shows that such policies are in place only for the K-pop groups that debut under the agency.
2) JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment has a fixed no dating policy for K-pop idols for the first three years of their careers. Park Jin-young, the CEO of JYP Entertainment, while on the TV broadcast of K-pop Star Concert revealed that the policy was initially applicable for five years but it was reduced to three. So when TWICE’s Jihyo was dating Kang Daniel in 2019, the company happily reported on the news as she was already free of the dating ban policy.
However, this rule is not in place for all artists. Solo artist Baek Ah Yeon. on the radio show Bae Ki Sung’s Cheer Up 2 O’Clock,stated that she was never discouraged from dating, in fact the company pushed her to go out and meet people.
3) SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment’s dating policy is not getting caught. The agency does not openly discourage artists from dating. Actress Lee Yeon-hee, in the 2014 broadcast of Radio Star, mentioned that she was not asked to follow any dating ban. Even a former SM Entertainment trainee mentioned that the company does not stop K-pop idols from dating, they do advise against getting caught.
This is probably the reason why the company was swift in sharing the dating news of many of their K-pop idols such as between Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon and EXO’s Baekhyun, EXO’s Kai, Super Junior’s Heechul, and many others. The company did not kick out EXO’s Chen from the group despite many fans wanting to do so after he got his girlfriend pregnant out of wedlock and went on to marry her.
Regardless of a dating ban or not, it is believed that most idols follow SM Entertainment’s policy of not getting caught. Being a K-pop idol can unfortunately also mean that they have to live up to a certain sense of fantasy, which puts their personal lives under heavy scrutiny.
Although things are changing at a quick rate, with more and more idols openly dating and even getting married, the most popular idols still have a hard time opening up about their dating life due to the wrath of fans and the South Korean public alike.
