For decades, there has been an unspoken rule in K-pop, especially for girl groups: marriage equals retirement. Once an idol became a wife, her career as an active idol was assumed to be over.
In December 2025, that long-standing formula finally began to crumble.
Two of K-pop’s most iconic second-generation girl groups, Generation of girls AND Roseare on the verge of making history by potentially becoming the first major girl group to have officially married members who remain active idols.
Apink’s Yoon Bomi: Wedding, but not goodbye
On December 18th, RoseYoon Bomi personally announced his wedding via a handwritten letter to fans. The revelation came after news broke that she had been in a relationship for nine years, a fact that surprised many but was largely met with warmth and support.
What mattered most to fans, however, was his reassurance: Apink will continue as a group.
That single promise carried weight far beyond his personal life. She challenged the long-held belief that marriage marks the end of a female idol’s public career, particularly within a group built on youth and innocence.
Girls’ Generation’s Tiffany Young reports a similar shift
Around the same time, another symbolic moment took place.
Tiffany Young by Generation of girls confirmed her relationship with actor Byun Yo-han, stressing that it is a serious, marriage-oriented relationship. Like Yoon Bomi, Tiffany chose transparency by writing directly to fans rather than allowing rumors to define the narrative.
While no wedding date was announced, the message was clear: Tiffany is navigating love, adulthood, and her career simultaneously, without framing one as sacrificing the other.
Why this is important to the history of K-Pop
Generation of girls AND Rose They’re not just any girl groups. They are pillars of K-pop’s global expansion, debuting in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the genre’s formative golden era.
Their cultural symbolism is precisely why these ads resonate beyond individual fandoms.
For the first time, two legendary girl groups are moving closer to the reality of having married members without dissolution, forced hiatus or quiet retirement from idol life.
This marks a potential game changer: From idols as eternal fantasies to idols as artists who age, grow, love and build families together with their fans.
A new fan culture in the making?
The larger question the industry now faces is whether fandom culture is ready to fully evolve.
Is it possible to embrace idols not as distant ideals frozen in time, but as real people who age along with their audiences?
Initial reactions suggest a cautious but significant change. Many fans expressed pride rather than disappointment, interpreting these accomplishments as evidence of longevity rather than loss.
If Yoon Bomi and Tiffany Young continued their careers as both idols and married women, it would effectively dismantle one of K-pop’s most restrictive unwritten rules.
What once symbolized an end can now represent something new: a sustainable idol career that doesn’t require personal sacrifice as the price.
Sources: Sportsoul
