An Extreme Wardrobe Malfunction Ended A K-Pop Group’s Career

With any performing career, artists always face certain risks when going on stage. One of these risks is wardrobe malfunctions, especially for those who dance and wear elaborate stage outfits. Sometimes, these can be small malfunctions that can be laughed off, like one Lee Young Ji had while performing at a festival…

Rapper Lee Young Ji Goes Viral For Her Reaction To An On-stage Wardrobe Malfunction

…others are much more serious and can have bad results, like injuring the idol or causing them to be exposed more than intended.

One K-Pop girl group ultimately ended up disbanding over an extreme on-stage wardrobe malfunction.

In July 2003, female duo TheS debuted under We Entertainment. TheS, made up of Kim Geun Young and Lee Yoon Mi, had a sexy image, and had a sound perfectly suited to the era. 

However, just a month after their debut, an incident would occur that would ultimately lead to their disbandment, before their first album was technically released.

While performing their track “More” on KMTV‘s now-defunct Show! Music Tank in front of a live audience, part of Lee Yoo Mi’s outfit fell, exposing her left breast to the audience of around 20,000.

The singer did not notice the issue with her outfit at first, but luckily, the show was not being live broadcast and this moment was replaced by pre-recorded footage of the group.

After this incident, Lee Yoon Mi, who was not comfortable with the group’s sexy image, did not feel comfortable continuing on leading to the group’s activities being suspended. Ultimately, the group would disband in October 2003, having only released one album, with Lee Yoon Mi later claiming it was also related to dating rumors that surfaced between her and producer Joo Young Hoon, her husband.

Rather than letting this incident completely stop her entertainment career, Lee Yoo Mi transitioned into acting, appearing in the 2004 series Little Women. 

Besides working as a substitute MC, Kim Geun Young has stepped out of the spotlight and chosen to live life as a non-celebrity.