2NE1's Sandara Park criticised for dating a 14-year-old at 19 and lying about her age

Sandara Park criticized for dating a 14-year-old at 19, facing backlash for lying about her age.

: Sandara Park of 2NE1 faced criticism after recounting a past relationship with a 14-year-old boy when she was 19. She revealed she lied about her age to seem younger during the brief encounter. The revelation led to backlash, with some viewing her actions as inappropriate, while others defended her. The controversial segment was removed, and her team warned against malicious speculations.

Sandara Park, a member of the group 2NE1, faced backlash after sharing a story on her show Dara Tour about dating a 14-year-old boy when she was 19 years old. She admitted to lying about her age to the boy, claiming to be 16, which caused surprise and criticism among netizens.

Many online commenters deemed her actions as wrong and problematic, with some people asserting that it was predatory behavior. While the legal age in South Korea is 20, making Park technically still a minor at that time, critics argued the roles being reversed would have led to greater backlash.

Supporters of Park defended her by stating that the situation was blown out of proportion and nothing inappropriate occurred. Following the criticism, the segment was edited out of the show, and Park's team called for an end to malicious speculations while warning of potential legal action, but this did little to quell the controversy.