SM Entertainment's Poor Handling Of Sulli's Relationship With Choiza [Opinion]

This year has seen several members of SM Entertainment idol groups revealing that they're in relationships. Idols rarely date, and when they do it usually becomes a controversial situation. However, while some of the revelations have led to drama, others have been favorably accepted.

The recent drama over the fact that f(x)'s Sulli is dating Dynamic Duo's Choiza sharply contrasts with the reaction after the revelation that Girls' Generation's YoonA is dating Lee Seung Gi. The same could be said about the situations when news broke that that Tiffany was dating 2PM's Nichkhun, and when it turned out that Sooyoung was dating Jung Kyung Ho.

Fans have even proved to be more accepting of Taeyeon's relationship with EXO's Baekhyun, despite the huge controversy. Taeyeon and EXO's flaw was lying before the news came out, and fans will eventually accept them as a couple. But Sulli's situation has been in the works for several months now, and fans will take a long time to forgive that. The fact that Sulli also is taking a hiatus from f(x) will mean that, if she decides to return to the group full time, it will be a difficult road to success.

This is partially due to the way that SM Entertainment handled the situation.

When Korean news outlets began to report that the four Girls' Generation members' relationships, SM Entertainment didn't take long to confirm the situation. Even when Girls' Generation's Hyoyeon became involved in a violent situation with her ex-boyfriend, SM Entertainment confessed to it.

But SM has taken an extraordinarily long time to address Sulli and Choiza's relationship. This has been going on since September 2013, when Choiza and Sulli were photographed holding hands. SM Entertainment denied their relationship, and at that point they may have just started dating.

But when someone found Choiza's wallet this June, there were pictures of Sulli in it SM Entertainment didn't even respond to the situation, while Choiza's company, Amoeba Culture, merely admitted that it was his wallet- but didn't comment on Sulli's picture.

Shortly after the wallet-fiasco, SM announced that Sulli wouldn't be appearing at all of f(x)'s promotions for their latest song "Red Light," due to having the flu.

But photos came to light that Sulli and Choiza were having dates, while Sulli was meant to be recovering.

Shortly after that, SM Entertainment announced that Sulli would be taking a break from the entertainment industry, and that f(x) would halt promotions for "Red Light"- even though the song became a huge success.

Only after Dispatch spotted the two of them on a date on August 19 did both Amoeba Culture and SM Entertainment confirm their relationships.

Looking back, it has been nearly a year since the first signs of a relationship between Sulli and Choiza. The fact that SM Entertainment took this long to confirm it, only after being forced to do so, is a bit incongruous with the company's recent response to other dating scandals.

Idols are no longer expected to be single, as they once were. While they're definitely more marketable when they're single, SM Entertainment and Sulli herself should have come out months ago and confessed that Sulli was dating Choiza, rather than making fans go absolutely crazy, pointing fingers at Sulli, Choiza, and SM for acting as if f(x)'s fans are blind and don't see the proof right before their eyes.

There is a general feeling among fans that SM Entertainment general mishandles f(x) as a group (although its members and songs are very popular,) but this goes above and beyond the realm of normal behavior, even for an entertainment company in South Korea.

There are so many factors at hand, that it is hard to pinpoint what is upsetting for fans- the fact that Sulli and Choiza are dating, the fact that f(x) stopped promoting because of Sulli's inactivity (which seems to be related to her dating rumors,) or the fact that SM Entertainment didn't just come out in September and say something along the lines of "yes, they know one another."

Had that happened, when Choiza's wallet was found, it wouldn't have made the scandal resurge, and wouldn't have led to this downward spiral where fans think that neither Sulli nor SM Entertainment have any credibility.

Idols' private lives don't need to be aired publicly, so perhaps that was Sulli's wish. But when the situation spiraled out of control and it became increasingly obvious that something was going on between Choiza and Sulli, SM Entertainment's denials and silence have practically undone the less-restrictive image that the company earned  when it admitted the Girls' Generation and EXO relationships this year.

---

The opinion expressed above is that of the writer and does not reflect the views of KpopStarz.

Tags
Sulli
sulli choiza
sulli sm entertainment
SM Entertainment
Join the Discussion

Latest Photo Gallery

Real Time Analytics