From K-pop scandals and deaths to DJ Tenashar’s downfall, our five top music stories of 2019

An investigation sparked by events at Seoul’s Burning Sun nightclub, co-owned by Big Bang’s Seungri, revealed a chat group sharing secretly recorded sex videos

K-pop was also in the news over the deaths of singers Goo Hara and Sulli; Asian music festivals and the travails of DJ Tenashar also piqued readers’ interest

Reading Time:2 minutes

(From left to right, top) Seungri, Goo Hara, Tenashar, Sulli, Seungri, Jung Joon-young and Cha In-ha have all made headlines this year in the South China Morning Post’s five top music stories of 2019.

Published: 6:00pm, 23 Dec 2019Updated: 6:35pm, 23 Dec 2019

The Post’s music coverage in 2018 was dominated by the rise of K-pop, and the sound from South Korea continued to make headlines this year – but for vastly different reasons.

Our K-pop coverage this year focused on the sex-and-drugs scandal surrounding Seoul’s Burning Sun nightclub, which claimed a high-profile victim in the form of Seungri – the BigBang member who served on the board of the club.

In the latter part of the year, the K-pop world was rocked by three suicides in less than two months – singers Sulli (October 14) and Goo Hara (November 24), and actor-singer Cha In-ha (December 3).

Stories about the scandal and the deaths were among the South China Morning Post’s top five music stories from 2019. Here’s the full list:

DJ Tenashar was arrested for suspected drug-related offences.

5. DJ Tenashar

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