Korean actors are always held to such extreme standards and are under so much pressure from fans and the public to look impeccable, as this is the way they avoid scandals.

Five of these follow major, shocking rules on one of the world's most cutthroat entertainment scenes—from extreme measures of weight loss to controlling personal relationships.

Roles Demand Strict Weight Loss

You can look your best, but the shocking reality for actors in Korea is that they often have to lose significant amounts of weight in a very short time.

In fact, it is often a requirement for production houses to have visible options to cast, and actors should maintain similar physical proportions to the characters.

For instance, when Go Kyung Pyo started to film "Reply 1988," he lost 8 kg within a month and 7 kg further into the drama.

Some actors are able to meet these extreme demands, but many suffer serious health repercussions.

We have Lee Min Ki, who lost 17 kg for a role, which devastated his health and resulted in body fat dropping down to 4% and his physical condition collapsing.

Having to fulfill an image requirement for a role causes some actors to find insecure shortcuts or engage in crash diets. The pressure to totally reshape their bodies has started to raise alarm bells over the physical and psychological cost of those in the industry.

Show Respect with Respectful Gestures

In the K-drama world, image is everything. Be it a big star or an upcoming one, there are strict norms being followed by every actor around how they behave towards senior actors, industry insiders, and even their fans.

One YouTuber, Gracie Grace, posted about her time working under contract with a large entertainment company and how her agency had an iron rule regarding respect.

Whenever this girl greeted anyone, it was within the stringent bounds of having to bow at an immaculately 90-degree bow (to the ground), even when it was freezing and her hands were in her pockets.

This isn't simply a matter of etiquette but speaks to cultural norms valuing hierarchy and humility that run deep.

If a performer misses showing proper reverence, he is admonished. Even relatively trivial errors, such as bowing the wrong way, can have dire results.

This rule and its almost exact adherence demonstrate just how deeply agencies control their artist's public persona to ensure they always seem humble no matter how successful they may be.

Dating is a No-Go for Some

Though the new rules on dating aren't as strict as they are for K-pop idols, many agencies still suggest or require their actors to stay single.

The reason for this? To maintain the illusion fans have of their favorite stars.

Relationships, especially public ones, can be a distraction from a star's career and irk fanbases that prefer to picture their idols as footloose and fancy-free.

An actress who began her career early on is Kim Yoo Jung, who has been vocal about avoiding dating as she prefers to channel her focus toward work without the pressures of being in the spotlight for a relationship.

This sentiment is echoed by many actors who feel that their work has to take precedence over their love lives.

Agencies are especially wary of relationships that become a little too serious, as those can distract the actor from the professional commitments they have to meet.

Worse yet, there are high-profile cases in which a relationship ruined an actor's career for good.

Lee Byung Hun was defamed for affairs and the notorious blackmail scandal with actress Lee Ji Yeon.

Though they remained together for a time, the scandal left an indelible mark on both their careers.

This is why a lot of agencies insist their actors ignore relationships or, at the very least, not make them seen in order to keep their professional lives as separate as possible.

Not Even in Private: No Illegal Drugs

Zero tolerance for illegal substances is well-known within South Korean entertainment agencies, and as you can imagine, outcomes are often severe.

When actor Yoo Ah In was confirmed guilty of using prohibited drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and propofol, the public was outraged.

This resulted in an investigation, a year in jail, a significant fine, and the end of ongoing roles, including the breakout series "Hellbound."

It also shows, as evidenced by this incident, that substance abuse, even off duty, will be taken seriously by agencies.

So, the pressure to maintain a squeaky-clean image is so overwhelming that an individual actor's personal life and behavior are judged so closely, like their professional actions.

In the entertainment industry, as we all know very well, one step in the wrong direction and an actor is out overnight in the case of illegal activity.

It isn't all about here that those stringent policies are keeping people from using; they keep individuals clean, but their true objectives would be to maintain an inkling of cleanliness in earning for both your identity under the bolster and the entertainment company.

No Scandal

A few personal scandals can destroy a pretty lucrative career as well.

The damage caused by personal scandals can cause an actor's career to crash down faster than in most other fields.

In South Korea, the public can be merciless about even the whiff of a misstep relating to personal life, politics, and appropriate conduct: a relationship scandal, allegations of infidelity, or misconduct.

A perfect case in point is Kim Jung Hyun's controversial behavior while filming "Time." The uproar came after he was accused of rude behavior toward a colleague, and it got so bad that he was made to step back from his profession. An event leading to such scandals is highly publicized, damaging the contracts and career prospects.

On top of the ever-watchful eye they live under, actors are also held accountable for their past antics.

More recently, there have been measures in entertainment contracts that will require actors to pay money if they get into trouble, and their behavior has an impact on productions or commercial contracts.

So if an actor gets embroiled in a scandal that negatively affects a project, they will have to pay back the money lost on this or that film production.

This financial responsibility adds to the burden on actors to be completely perfect in their personal and professional lives.

Actors in Korea are forced to conform to a strict set of rules and are subject to insane pressures that even a member of the press could not understand.

They have to stay scandal-free, behave respectfully, and keep their private lives mostly on the down low.

No wonder being a successful actor here is less about talent and more about navigating a web of expectations and rules that can make—or break—a career.