[KoreanUrbanLegend] November Urban Legend

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Every November, there is an urban legend and superstition in the entertainment industry and broadcasting circles that many incidents and accidents occur unusually often. People even say it’s as if some curse falls on November. Mainly, bad news such as deaths, breakups, and criminal involvement are said to concentrate during this time.

This legend began to be widely discussed in the media relatively recently, from around 2005. However, rumors had already been circulating within the entertainment industry since the late 1980s. Some media outlets point to the death of singer Cha Jung-rak from meningitis on November 10, 1968, as the origin.

Notable incidents that fueled the spread of this November legend include:

  • November 1, 1986: Death of comedian Seo Young-choon

  • November 1, 1987: Death of singer Yoo Jae-ha in a car accident

  • November 1, 1990: Death of Kim Hyun-sik from cirrhosis (member of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter band)

By the late 2000s, this legend had almost become an accepted fact, with gossip media regularly publishing related articles every November. Of course, there is no scientific basis for November being especially unlucky.

Behind this urban legend lies an insider perspective: "There is a lack of newsworthy stories in November" in the media industry. While life is always full of incidents, big newsworthy events don’t frequently occur. Especially in sports, which constantly provide news, November is a lull period after major seasons like baseball and soccer end. Alternative sports such as basketball or volleyball offer too little content, and December has more festive content, but November does not.

Therefore, to fill the scarce news space, media outlets dig into the entertainment industry in November, revealing scandals that catch public attention. In other words, the unfortunate incidents don’t necessarily happen in November, but are revealed then.

There is also a conspiracy theory that since political figures’ scandals often surface during the National Assembly’s audit season, entertainment news is deliberately highlighted to divert public attention. Media scholars point to the spatial and temporal constraints of media and gatekeepers’ decisions as contributing factors. Due to deep ties between politics and media in Korea, some speculate that entertainment scandals are staged to cover political scandals.

On the other hand, some interpret this through the lens of the Five Elements (Ohaeng) theory: November marks the start of winter with the water element, which clashes with the fire element associated with entertainers, causing more accidents among them.

Ultimately, the November legend’s sensational packaging can overshadow the moral and social implications of entertainers’ illegal acts and the public’s need for awareness. Meanwhile, calls are growing for balanced attention to hardworking, upright entertainers, especially those who are less known.

Nowadays, with winter sports like basketball and volleyball, esports, and international sports providing more news even in autumn, and increasing legal risks over defamation claims, the style of sports and entertainment reporting is changing, and perceptions are shifting. However, in the past, November was indisputably regarded as a month when something bad always happened. Even now, despite the declining influence of traditional media, any grim incident in November tends to be linked to the legend, making it difficult to completely dispel this superstition.

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