As BLACKPINK's Jisoo faces backlash, questions grow over guilt by association

BLACKPINK member Jisoo faces backlash over a family controversy despite having no direct connection to the case, reviving questions in Korea’s entertainment industry about guilt by association.

The controversy grew after reports said the older brother of a member of a well-known girl group had been arrested on allegations of indecent assault against a female streamer. Rumors spread online that the man was Jisoo’s older brother.

He is also facing an allegation of domestic violence after someone claiming to be his wife shared proof of the abuse on social media. He has denied the allegation, saying there was physical contact but no coercion.

For Jisoo, the issue was not the allegation itself, but the way criticism began to focus on her as well. Although the case did not involve her directly, she became a target of backlash because she was related to the man at the center of the reports, drawing renewed attention to how celebrities can be blamed for matters unrelated to them.

Her agency, BLISSOO, moved quickly to distance the artist from the case. Through its legal representative, the agency said, “The matter has nothing to do with the artist or the company,” and added that rumors swirling around her online was “unverified speculation or misinformation.”

BLISSOO said Jisoo had effectively lived independently from a young age as a K-pop trainee and was in no position to know about or become involved in her family’s private affairs. The agency also denied claims that her older brother had any role in founding or running the company and said he currently has no legal or managerial relationship with it.

Even so, the backlash did not fade easily. Posts alleging the man’s past conduct and claiming additional victims continued to circulate, and some online commenters went so far as to argue that Jisoo herself bore responsibility. Amid the controversy, she canceled a planned airport departure press appearance scheduled for last week.

For celebrities, family members are often their greatest vulnerability. While the public increasingly recognizes that stars are individuals who should not answer for unrelated private matters, the cultural instinct to assign guilt by association persists.

This dynamic drove the current backlash. Unverified claims and online speculation outpaced the facts, intensifying public scrutiny before authorities could establish the truth. Although the core allegation centers on her brother, the criticism quickly engulfed Jisoo solely because of their family ties.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.