Seung-ri and the burning sun scandal: a study of K-pop idol reputations and identities
This thesis offers an examination of reputational work and identity processes that are often part of it by studying the contested reputation of Seung ri from K-pop music act BigBang, who got caught up in the 2019 Burning Sun scandal and was convicted for prostitution meditation, illegal overseas...
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| Format: | Thesis-Master by Research |
| Language: | English |
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Nanyang Technological University
2022
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/163672 |
| _version_ | 1811678054207979520 |
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| author | Luu, Vinh Trinh |
| author2 | Patrick Williams |
| author_facet | Patrick Williams Luu, Vinh Trinh |
| author_sort | Luu, Vinh Trinh |
| collection | NTU |
| description | This thesis offers an examination of reputational work and identity
processes that are often part of it by studying the contested reputation of Seung ri from K-pop music act BigBang, who got caught up in the 2019 Burning Sun
scandal and was convicted for prostitution meditation, illegal overseas gambling,
fund embezzlement, distribution of explicit footage of women, among other
offenses in early 2022. Though not the only high-profile figure involved in the
scandal, the K-pop artist has arguably received the most public attention since
the case became publicized. Communities of K-pop fans and those interested in
Korean media in general were split in their reactions to news of Seung-ri
involvement in the scandal. Some believe he was framed and scapegoated for the
crimes of others or unfairly trialed by the media and uninformed public. Others
are under the impression that the idol really did commit the crimes he was
committed of. Groups with divergent takes on the scandal often clashed on social
media, constructing almost contradictory public images of Seung-ri in support of
their claims regarding his involvement. Applying Fine’s theoretical framework
on reputation construction, which holds that a person’s reputation is embedded
in the interests, relations, and perceptions of those creating it (or reputational
entrepreneurs) to online discussions of the Burning Sun scandal and interviews
with former and current fans of BigBang, I found that the reputations that those
interested in the scandal created for Seung-ri were shaped by their cynical views
of celebrities, negative perceptions of South Korea due to its widespread
corruption and patriarchal social structure, mistrust of the South Korean media
and government, rivalry among different K-pop fandoms, negative public
perceptions of K-pop fans, and fans’ emotional connection with Seung-ri and
BigBang. Moreover, as part of constructing Seung-ri’s reputations, reputational
entrepreneurs constructed for themselves and each other a range of categorical
identities with the purpose of using the social images these identities generate to
influence the credibility of their reputational accounts of Seung-ri. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T02:47:09Z |
| format | Thesis-Master by Research |
| id | ntu-10356/163672 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T02:47:09Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | Nanyang Technological University |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1636722023-03-05T15:52:32Z Seung-ri and the burning sun scandal: a study of K-pop idol reputations and identities Luu, Vinh Trinh Patrick Williams School of Social Sciences patrick.williams@ntu.edu.sg Social sciences::Sociology This thesis offers an examination of reputational work and identity processes that are often part of it by studying the contested reputation of Seung ri from K-pop music act BigBang, who got caught up in the 2019 Burning Sun scandal and was convicted for prostitution meditation, illegal overseas gambling, fund embezzlement, distribution of explicit footage of women, among other offenses in early 2022. Though not the only high-profile figure involved in the scandal, the K-pop artist has arguably received the most public attention since the case became publicized. Communities of K-pop fans and those interested in Korean media in general were split in their reactions to news of Seung-ri involvement in the scandal. Some believe he was framed and scapegoated for the crimes of others or unfairly trialed by the media and uninformed public. Others are under the impression that the idol really did commit the crimes he was committed of. Groups with divergent takes on the scandal often clashed on social media, constructing almost contradictory public images of Seung-ri in support of their claims regarding his involvement. Applying Fine’s theoretical framework on reputation construction, which holds that a person’s reputation is embedded in the interests, relations, and perceptions of those creating it (or reputational entrepreneurs) to online discussions of the Burning Sun scandal and interviews with former and current fans of BigBang, I found that the reputations that those interested in the scandal created for Seung-ri were shaped by their cynical views of celebrities, negative perceptions of South Korea due to its widespread corruption and patriarchal social structure, mistrust of the South Korean media and government, rivalry among different K-pop fandoms, negative public perceptions of K-pop fans, and fans’ emotional connection with Seung-ri and BigBang. Moreover, as part of constructing Seung-ri’s reputations, reputational entrepreneurs constructed for themselves and each other a range of categorical identities with the purpose of using the social images these identities generate to influence the credibility of their reputational accounts of Seung-ri. Master of Arts 2022-12-13T11:24:27Z 2022-12-13T11:24:27Z 2022 Thesis-Master by Research Luu, V. T. (2022). Seung-ri and the burning sun scandal: a study of K-pop idol reputations and identities. Master's thesis, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/163672 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/163672 10.32657/10356/163672 en This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). application/pdf Nanyang Technological University |
| spellingShingle | Social sciences::Sociology Luu, Vinh Trinh Seung-ri and the burning sun scandal: a study of K-pop idol reputations and identities |
| title | Seung-ri and the burning sun scandal: a study of K-pop idol reputations and identities |
| title_full | Seung-ri and the burning sun scandal: a study of K-pop idol reputations and identities |
| title_fullStr | Seung-ri and the burning sun scandal: a study of K-pop idol reputations and identities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seung-ri and the burning sun scandal: a study of K-pop idol reputations and identities |
| title_short | Seung-ri and the burning sun scandal: a study of K-pop idol reputations and identities |
| title_sort | seung ri and the burning sun scandal a study of k pop idol reputations and identities |
| topic | Social sciences::Sociology |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/163672 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT luuvinhtrinh seungriandtheburningsunscandalastudyofkpopidolreputationsandidentities |