Although K-Pop has grown a great deal through time, some concepts and pictures are still far more attractive and appropriate to the Korean audience than others.
The clean, pure, innocent image remains the most crucial thing for girl groups in particular. While girls are more embraced in darker or hotter concepts, they are not so much for conservative classes as South Korea is known for its conservative nature. The Honey Popcorn K-Pop band also seems to match those values at first sight.
They came through like any other new girl band in K-pop. In March 2018, they launched their debut music video, 'Bibidi Babidi Boo' with beautiful, charming personalities, a fun, adorable concept, and lovely photos.
The three members, though, have more than what the eye sees. Members Mikami Yua, Sakura Moko, and Matsuda Miko initially started their careers in the entertainment industry as J-pop members of the respective bands SK348, NMB48, and Bakusute Sotokanda Icchome.
Moreover, the three girls entered the Japanese pornographic movie industry after "stepping down from" such groups, from which their scandal emerges. The reality that girls were employed as adult entertainment actors while still attempting to make their breakthrough as a K-Pop group in a highly traditional system such as South Korea was not very well recognized.
There have been so many complaints that a petition was presented on the presidential platform to have the Korean government restrict the rookie band from debuting in the K-pop scene, as the Hallyu wave had so much influence on younger fans.
In mid-March, the group, founded by Kyun Create, was ready to debut, but they were scrapped, possibly because of the uproar, following these protests. After the verdict was overturned, the viewing public was stunned, and Honey Popcorn was done the same day with the first EP presentation.
The girls were fully aware of this controversy surrounding their debut career, but band leader Yua bravely spoke upfront about it. She admitted that she worked in adult entertainment in Japan but promised the fans that she and Honey Popcorn would work hard to pay back the fans rooting for hem since the beginning, despite the issue.
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