The Collapse and Rebuilding of K-POP Idols' Persona

This study focuses on the "anti-scandal system" in the K-POP industrya mechanism to mitigate reputational damage caused by scandalsand addresses challenges such as global reputational risks and the social media-driven spread of scandals. Adopting mixed research methods, it combines case studies (e.g., the withdrawal of Ju Haknyeon from THE BOYZ and the persona building of NewJeans) with a questionnaire survey (180 valid responses, with respondents primarily being students aged 18-25) to explore the operation of this system and its impact on idol-fan relationships. Findings reveal that idol personas have gradually undergone a strategic shift: for instance, from "divine idols" to "human partners," emphasizing authenticity and modularization to enhance resilience against scandals. Capital-driven risk control measuresincluding strategic rotation across transnational markets (e.g., adjustments to regional strategies by S2 Entertainment following KISS OF LIFE's racial controversy) and legal-cum-PR tacticseffectively mitigate damage. Questionnaire results indicate that 62.5% of respondents evaluate scandals based on their severity, while only 22.98% disapprove of all the idol's mistakes, reflecting the audience's hard bottom lines and limited tolerance. This study uncovers the characteristics of K-POP idols as "human brands" and examines how industry mechanisms, fan psychology, and capital operations collectively maintain idol personas amid scandal crises, offering insights into the evolving governance models in persona management within the cultural industry.