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Confirmation of the relationship between EXO's Baekhyun and Girls' Generations' Taeyeon demonstrates that the industry and the Korean public are ready to accept the fact that popular idols are actually dating.
When the Girls' Generation idol relationship announcement of Tiffany and Nickhyun was made in April 2014, I was skeptical about the positive impact this could have on Girls' Generation. Tiffany and Nickhyun are both popular idols who are part of the Korean entertainment complex which systematically denies relationships involving idols.
While SM Entertainment has been slow to issue official responses regarding other rumors, the agency has been swift to handle all relationship rumors surrounding Girls' Generation.
On June 19, SM Entertainment issued a statement confirming dating rumors surrounding Taeyeon and Baekhyun.
In a statement reported to Enews, a representative for SM Entertainment confirmed the rumor by stating that Taeyeon and Baekhyun, “were close junior and senior singers but recently developed good feelings toward one another and became a couple.”
This confirmation of their relationship follows high profile relationship announcements that were confirmed by SM Entertainment for Girls' Generation members Tiffany, Sooyoung, and YoonA.
As previously covered, Jessica and Hyoyeon were also involved in dating rumors but those relationships were proven to either be friendships or confirmed after the couple broke up.
YoonA set the stage for Girls' Generation to prove that idols could engage in well-received dating relationships. SM Entertainment welcomed the new year of 2014 with confirmation that she was dating popular acting idol Lee Seung Gi.
The relationship between YoonA and Lee Seung Gi has been one of most positively received in Korean entertainment, with fans of both artists openly supporting their projects. Lee Seung Gi is a king of endorsements and has seamlessly segued between a career in acting and K-Pop.
While Sooyoung is in a relationship with actor Jung Kyung Ho, Tiffany is dating 2PM member Nickhyun.
Tiffany was the third member of Girls' Generation to have her relationship revealed in April and fans responded with mixed results. However, Tiffany is involved in a cross-agency dating relationship, with 2PM signed to JYP Entertainment.
While fans responded with an outcry to the announcement that Tiffany and Nickhyun were dating, there has been a less vitriol response to news regarding Taeyeon and Baekhyun.
Speculation regarding their relationship rose even higher after a filming of the SBS program "HanBam" in 2013.
While Taeyeon may have issued an apology to fans via Instagram regarding the manner in which the relationship was revealed, most fans remain supportive of the popular idols.
It could be attributed to the fact that Girls' Generation fans have warmed up to the notion of the girls entering womanhood through dating. However, it is most likely that the fact that the couple was “shipped” or part of a fantasy relationship, by many fans of both groups. It is telling that there were already relationship threads for the couple on popular forums, prior to this announcement.
Many EXO fans who are notorious for their fervent support of the group, appear to be quietly receptive of the relationship announcement which will hopefully overshadow those fans who are rejecting the news.
EXO fan Wendy Cherry responded to the confirmed relationship between Taeyeon and Baekhyun with a very enthusiastic, "Woot! I'm not sure why I care but they are cute!" This response was made in the Facebook group Naughty Noonas, which chronicles the phenomena of older women or noonas, who enjoy K-Pop and other aspects of Korean entertainment.
Most surprising is the fact that there is a three year age difference between Taeyeon and Baekhyun. Taeyeon was born in 1989, while Baekhyun was born in 1992.
Taeyeon also serves as a senior to Baekhyun in SM Entertainment, having debuted with Girls' Generation in 2007. Baekhyun debuted in 2012 with the tremendously successful group EXO. Both groups are currently at the height of their careers, having established global fame as purveyors of the Hallyu Wave.
Audiences in Korea have become desensitized to older woman-younger man relationships through the recent surge in K-Drama noona romances. Most recently, “I Need Romance 3” and “A Witch's Romance” have placed a positive spin on relationships where there are age differences between younger men and older women with “A Witch's Romance” featuring a fourteen year age difference.
While SM Entertainment may be criticized by fans for other practices, their confirmation of idol relationships could help to revolutionize the current state of Korean entertainment.
K-Pop idols, in particular, are often subjected to standardized practices in which denying relationships is considered best practice. Fans of groups often are aware of rumored relationships with Korean paparazzi media such as Dispatch hot on the tails of idols, ready to break the latest dating news.
If other agencies adopted the practice that SM Entertainment appears to have embraced for Girls' Generation, similar results may occur.
YG Entertainment has been slow to confirm relationships regarding idols including the on and off again rumors surrounding Big Bang's G-Dragon with Japanese model Kiko Mizuhara.
Even 2NE1 vocalist Park Bom appears to have expressed her frustrations regarding the imposed dating ban on her group, as fans speculate about her scripted relationship on “Roommates” with actor Lee Dong Wook.
Since the start of the Girls' Generation dating announcements in late 2013, the group has made a successful comeback and has maintained relatively positive news through their respective relationships.
If Girls' Generation members and a member of EXO can announce their relationships to the world, other K-Pop idols should be able to.
Perhaps, Korean entertainment is ready to replicate Western entertainment where audiences care more about whether or not Justin Bieber is still dating Selena Gomez, than the fact that the couple was ever dating in the first place.
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