This is a first.
Koreaboo
While idols have sometimes left groups after getting pregnant, it is not a common occurrence.
A K-Pop Idol’s Secret Pregnancy Was Recorded In A Fancam…And No One Realized
A member of a currently active girl group is the latest to be added to the list, sort of.
The Chinese girl group BABYQUEEN announced that one of its members, Mity, was pregnant. Shortly after, Mity shared her own update, apologizing for causing concern and promising to return to the stage, while also taking care of the new life inside her.
Backlash followed, though not for the reason most would anticipate.
BABYQUEEN is an AI or virtual group, created by a group of K-Pop loving students, and launched on September 7. The reason given for the “pregnancy” announcement was to make things easier by having one less “idol” to manage.
Complaints from netizens criticized the usage of pregnancy as a potential marketing ploy, while also seeming inconsiderate to those dealing with fertility issues. On the other hand, the creators stated that no money was made by the project, and that they had been personally harassed for something being done to ease the pressure of running the group.
The criticism does not seem to have affected the plans for BABYQUEEN, as a teaser for an upcoming release was posted days later.
Chinese social media platforms have a number of AI idols active on them, but this was a first.