The K-pop 'red pill': Just how virtual is a virtual idol?

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The K-pop 'red pill': Just how virtual is a virtual idol?

Published: 18 May. 2025, 19:11 Updated: 19 May. 2025, 07:52

SHIN HA-NEE
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Virtual girl group Isegye Idol takes a photo with fans during the Isegye Festival held at the Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on May 17. [PARABLE ENTERTAINMENT]

If you had the chance to learn what your favorite idol is really like behind the scenes, off camera without any pretenses, would you want to know? Would you take the “red pill,” or leave the fantasy intact?

This question takes on a whole new dimension in the world of virtual idols and virtual YouTubers, or so-called VTubers. But if you think about it — is loving a virtual idol truly so different from being a fan of a real one?

The ‘red pill’

Virtual idols, presented as digital avatars crafted with 3-D modeling, have been gaining increasingly significant traction over recent years.

Their audiences are getting bigger, proven by chart performances. Plave, a virtual boy band, made history by entering the Billboard Global 200 with “Dash,” the lead track of its third EP “Caligo Pt.1,” and set to begin its first Asia tour in August. Isegye Idol, a six-member girl group launched in 2021, became the first virtual act to perform at Gocheok Sky Dome on Saturday, as a headliner during the Isegye Festival.

Virtual boy band Plave [VLAST]

Both groups — now nearly synonymous with the concept of virtual idols in Korea — are powered by motion-tracking technology that enables actual people hidden behind digital personas to perform live somewhere behind the scenes.

Naturally, this leads to constant curiosity about the individuals behind the virtual facade.

In Korea’s online space, VTuber and virtual idol fans refer to an act of uncovering the real identity of an avatar as “taking the red pill,” a reference to the sci-fi classic “The Matrix” (1999).

And, as you might expect, the topic of the red pill is a sensitive one, as real identities behind the idols remain officially undisclosed, despite widespread speculations.

Parable Entertainment's virtual girl group Isegye Idol [KT GENIE MUSIC]

Isegye Idol has been recently embroiled in online controversy surrounding the real individuals behind the digital personas, as rumors circulated that random people featured in a YouTube video were actual members of the sextet, sparking a flood of derogatory remarks and personal attacks. In response, Parable Entertainment, its agency, issued a statement that it would pursue legal action.

Is it a character or a person?

While online scrutiny exists constantly, most actual fans of virtual idols don’t seem eager to find out who the real person behind the avatar is.

“I’m not that curious about the actual identity of Isegye Idol members,” said a 19-year-old fan of the girl group, who wished to go by his nickname Bakgicheokja.

“I became a fan not just because of how they look, but also for their singing skills, personalities and such, so I don’t think I’d lose interest even if I find out the real identities.”

So, are fans in love with the people behind the digital personas, or with the anime-like 3-D avatars?

According to fans, it’s impossible to separate the two, as a virtual idol is basically an amalgamation of both realities.

Member Lilpa of Isegye Idol from the music video for the virtual girl group's ″Misty Rainbow,″ released on April 25 [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Lee Ye-eun, who has been into both anime and real-life idols, is now a devoted Isegye Idol fan, stanning members Jururu and Jingburger in particular.

Virtual idols are “essentially characters who can communicate with fans,” described Lee.

Bang Il-seop, a 34-year-old fan whose bias is Isegye Idol’s Ine, discovered the group while watching online livestreams by Woowakgood, the producer behind the group.

“I really liked the innocent and bubbly energy all six members exude together,” said Bang, adding that what draws him to Isegye Idol is a "50-50 balance between their external and internal charms.”

An image of virtual girl group Isegye Idol and Woowakgood, a streamer and producer behind the idol group [SOOP]

Virtual idols and real fans

Debating whether virtual idols should be considered an idol or a character — or whether fans are more drawn to the digital or real aspect — is perhaps beside the point, suggested Jang Min-ji, an assistant professor of media and visual arts at Kyungnam University, at least when it comes to why their fandom dynamics resonate so well with audience.

“Those who are actively involved in [virtual idol] fandom activities are likely people who’ve previously been part of other fandoms, whether it be 2-D anime characters or real-life idols,” said Jang, adding that trying to analyze virtual idol fandoms through a rigid binary framework of 2-D versus 3-D misses the point.

“Fans like those, therefore, are likely drawn to the very act of stanning and rooting for someone or something.”

Every fan who attended Isegye Idol’s latest concert in western Seoul on Saturday cited “the experience” as the reason for making the trip to the Gocheok Sky Dome, instead of attending a real-time theater screening or watching an online livestream.

Virtual girl group Isegye Idol performs during the Isegye Festival held at the Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on May 17. [PARABLE ENTERTAINMENT]

“It all boils down to the feeling of being at the scene,” said Ji Gang-hyeon, a devoted fan of Isegye Idol’s Ine.

“Watching the performance livestreamed at a theater is basically no different from watching it on YouTube with a phone,” said the 20-year-old.

As Plave and Isegye gained significant traction last year, many K-pop agencies and tech companies have been trying to hop on the virtual idol bandwagon, but with little success so far.

SM Entertainment's virtual idol naevis [SM ENTERTAINMENT[

And that appears to be because true authenticity that can truly resonate with fans is a rare commodity.

“Plave has been actively engaging with fans through online platforms,” noted Jang.

Such consistent, close interactions create a sense of tight-knit connection and belonging, the professor added, saying, “Growing together with the group also makes fans feel more emotionally invested their journey.”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [[email protected]]