Barely teenage idols are, unfortunately, not an entirely new concept in K-Pop. Over the years, many idols like NCT‘s Jisung and ENHYPEN‘s Ni-ki debuted at young ages.
ENHYPEN’s Ni-Ki | BELIFT Lab NCT’s Jisung
Netizens have often discussed their concerns for children in the sometimes harsh industry. All the things adult idols deal with, including stalker fans, are also points of concern for younger idols.
Recently, netizens felt uncomfortable over a young idol already having a dedicated fansite.
Starting last year, the survival program Universe Ticket introduced viewers to dozens of hopeful trainees competing to debut in a temporary group.
| SBS
The program ended in mid-January 2024, with the debut group UNIS comprising the top 8 trainees. This included K-Pop’s first Filipina line and the person who would be the youngest currently promoting idol, Lim Seowon.
UNIS | SBS Lim Seowon
Seowon recently turned 13 on January 27 and has a ten-year age difference from UNIS’s oldest member, Jin Hyeonju (cignature‘s Belle). The young idol recently celebrated a big milestone — graduating from elementary school.
This led many to discover the fansite, who shared photos from the ceremony.
240207 학사모 찰떡 #임서원 #LimSeoWon #UNIS pic.twitter.com/LZI7ro1eWU
— One Of (@One_of_you___) February 7, 2024
The fansite, One Of (@one_of_you___), has existed since the survival show and attended the graduation, photographing Seowon before, during, and after. Seowon does not appear uncomfortable, smiling and posing for some of the photos.
While not all fansites break the rules to photograph idols, some common assumptions present some concerning points. Fansites must be able to take time out of their schedule to attend events and make enough to afford the often expensive camera equipment, leading most to believe they are usually adults.
If this is true, an adult committing this kind of time and effort to a barely teenage idol does not sit well with many.
this is a 13 year old girl …. https://t.co/SpN8S3jDR5
— °˖ ⌯ ⚢༄ (@faehrin) February 8, 2024
you guys are actually so weird… https://t.co/kCrWxftYPt
— auds ︎ TALKED TO ITZY (@namjoonslesgf) February 7, 2024
we need an age and face reveal for the person behind a fansite for a girl that JUST turned 13… https://t.co/cto23wHo2r
— :3 (@deadmanrunnins) February 7, 2024
Being a fan does not have an age limit, but some of the ways of “stan-ning” do in many cases.
Some netizens are uncomfortable.
