Exploitative or fun-loving?
Koreaboo
2 hours ago
K-Pop fansign culture is once again under fire after VERIVERY‘s Kangmin appeared at a fansign wearing a maid outfit, sparking heated debate across online communities.
Photos and clips from the event quickly spread on social media, showing Kangmin dressed in a frilly maid costume as part of a fansign request.
260129 후즈팬 #강민 #유강민 pic.twitter.com/cw0qMrur25
— 둥굴레 (@huoguojuo) January 29, 2026
While some fans viewed the moment as lighthearted fan service, others were far less amused, criticizing the situation as uncomfortable and crossing a line. As the images went viral, netizens questioned why idols are often placed in situations where they feel pressured to comply with unusual or embarrassing fan requests in order to maintain goodwill.
| Instiz
- You’ve suffered so much…
- Oh, is that a maid outfit?
- Oops…
- Ah, haha. I really do think that it’s such a grotesque culture.
- This really just proves that the fans aren’t the ones trying to do RPS amongst the idol scene.
Idols are frequently asked to perform exaggerated roles, wear suggestive outfits, or act out fantasies during fansigns. Sometimes, these just consist of innocuous requests like uniforms…
…or props.
At other times, idols receive odd requests like the above maid outfit, or even reaction baiting.
the reaction fishing is getting worse and worse https://t.co/wKqQYWeBEb pic.twitter.com/QnjBszIlZz
— J ♥︎ ︎ (@enhaconnoisseur) January 30, 2026
The incident has reignited calls for agencies to implement clearer guidelines on what is acceptable at fansigns and to better protect idols from uncomfortable or inappropriate requests.