Son Ho-young wonders if K-pop idols have become ‘too perfect’

Nearly three decades after debuting with g.o.d, Son Ho-young, 46, has watched K-pop transform from an industry still figuring out what an idol should be into a global business capable of producing performers polished down to the smallest detail.

“Everything (in the K-pop industry) seems to be becoming more perfect. It almost feels like there are fewer gaps,” Son said during a recent interview with press in western Seoul. “When I look at idols today, everything, from their preparation and training to their promotional strategies, seems to have become incredibly detailed and perfected.”

What he sees today impresses him but also worries him.

It is an observation that carries weight coming from a member of one of K-pop’s quintessential first-generation groups.

Having debuted in 1999, g.o.d rose to become one of the era’s biggest acts and is still considered an iconic act of the genre. Yet Son recalls the group as being far from perfect, saying its many flaws and shortcomings ultimately became part of its appeal.

“I don’t think there will be another group quite like g.o.d,” he said. “We had a lot of flaws and gaps. Those were weaknesses, but somehow they also came across as strengths that made our bond stronger as a group.”

For Son, the concern is not that today’s idols are too talented or too prepared. He wonders whether an industry built around increasingly flawless performers can inadvertently make imperfection itself more difficult to accept.

Such dilemmas are hardly new to K-pop, as Son experienced firsthand during g.o.d’s peak, when K-pop was still in its early stages.

In September 2001, the group’s agency announced that leader Park Joon-hyung would be removed from g.o.d surrounding his then-relationship with actor Han Go-eun, which the agency described at the time as “behavior damaging the group’s image.”

Son and the other three bandmates rebelled against the decision. Without their agency’s approval, they held a press conference and declared they would not continue as a four-member group or accept a replacement for Park. The agency ultimately reversed course two months later and Park was able to remain.

While many more generations of K-pop idols have been produced since then, the pressure on idols to live up to an idealized image has hardly disappeared.

When Aespa’s Karina confirmed in 2024 that she was dating actor Lee Jae-wook, some fans reacted with disappointment and anger, demanding she leave the group and criticizing her for not focusing on the girl group's work. Days later, she posted a handwritten letter, apologizing to fans who “may have been surprised or hurt by the news.” The couple reportedly parted ways five weeks after their relationship went public.

The circumstances are vastly different from Park’s case, but both demonstrate the narrow space idols have occupied between public persona and private individual.

As Son reflects on how much the industry has changed, he is also looking back on his own career as he marks 20 years since making his solo debut in 2006.

The milestone comes with “Go Around,” his first solo release in five years, set for release Wednesday. The light, rock-based pop track carries a message that Son says feels particularly fitting for where he is now: Life does not have to follow a predetermined path and it is OK to move forward at one’s own pace.

“The album conveys a message that going straight ahead isn’t the only answer,” Son explained. “I think everyone has their own pace and their own way of living. At this point in my life, I wanted to make a song that tells listeners that you don’t always have to follow what others say is the right path.”

Son participated in writing the lyrics, which encourage listeners to tune out some of the expectations and noise that can accumulate over the course of life — advice he said is directed as much at himself as at his listeners.

“There’s so much noise when you go through life,” he said. “I hope people don’t pay too much attention to all of it. Looking back now, I’ve realized there were so many things I didn’t need to worry about as much as I did.”

With it being 20 years since his solo debut and 27 years as a g.o.d member, Son said he wants to lean into the qualities listeners associate with him — his recognizable voice and the sense of comfort he hopes his music provides.

“I’ve realized that one of my strengths is my unique voice that people are able to recognize as Son Ho-young’s voice when they hear it,” he added. “I want to use that identity and make the comfort and happiness people feel through my music as my strength going forward.”

His solo anniversary comes as g.o.d reaches a milestone of its own. The group marked 10,000 days since its debut in May, with all five members reuniting for concerts and group activities 27 years into their career. Son admitted that new music “could also arrive,” adding that g.o.d wants to release another song, although the weight attached to the g.o.d name creates pressure.

For now, Son’s immediate focus is his own return. Following the release of “Go Around” on Wednesday, Son will host his first solo concerts in five years, “Horizon,” at KBS Arena in western Seoul on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.