Yes, K-pop idols should be able to sing and dance at the same time.

Yes, they have trained for years.

Yes, so many groups already sing live and let us bow down to your oppa/unnie because he/she would not dare lip sync, your fave is better than mine.

Let me remind everyone what a live performance on a music show is all about. The group dances on a moderately sized stage, surrounded by really hot lights and fans who have waited a long time to see them perform. They group is probably performing live and has one shot to get everything right. There are about thirty cameras all pointing at the stage, sometimes the camera men go on stage WITH the group and sometimes there are cameras that move back and forth in front of the group. Each singer has to, at some point, make eye contact and smolder at the camera, usually while singing and dancing.

While all this is happening, there are effects going on around them. Flashing lights, loud music, maybe jets of fire shooting up from the stage. in the cases of boy groups they may be wearing heavy sweatshirts, hats, and/or ties. Girls groups may be wearing short shorts, tank tops, and dangerously high heels. They are all likely wearing some very heavy jewlery. That stage is hot, they're sweaty, someone is probably going to slip and fall at some point due to unsafe conditions, the groups are tired and overworked, recording late at night, some of them might not have eaten yet, some of them might have to continue on to another scedule, some of them might have school tomorrow morning, some have probably only had 5 hours of sleep in the last 24 hours. On top of that, some of these groups are still getting used to actually being on stage with all this activity around them. there's no way to prepare to be part of a live performance without actually being part of a live performance. So maybe for some groups, this only the second or fifth time they're on a stage with the other people in their group.

Let me remind you that it is unfair to hold idol groups to the same standard as TVXQ, SHINee and even Infinite. SHINee and Infinite have been around for over 5 years, TVXQ is nearing their tenth anniversary, they know what it's like to be on stage. A group like Got7 or AOA may have performed before but they are still Rookies, they are still getting used to the stage and getting a feel for how their own body reacts to a live performance. Everyone reacts differently.

I was on various swim teams for 7 years, I would always get such anxiety right before my race. I would chew my goggle straps, check my cap a million times, my knees would be shaking right before I got on the block, my heart was pounding the entire time, and I was terrified that i would forget to breathe or dive at the wrong moment or that my goggles would fall off the second I hit the water and I would let the whole team down. I can't imagine how stressed idols are when they go on stage, when not just the fans are waiting for them, but the group is counting on them, the company is counting on them, the music show production crew is counting on them, and they only have one shot to get it right!

I know singers lip sync. It's not a big deal to me, because i know that k-pop singers especially don't have an easy time of it. I have been a fan long enough to know that they fall a lot, they faint on stage, they don't eat or sleep enough during promotions, maybe 3-5 hours a night. They knock out for twenty minutes in the van or the waiting room and consider themselves lucky. Girl groups diet--even if they say they don't if it's a promotion cycle, trust me they're on a diet. And they are dancing hard, in the most ridiculous outfits with heavy necklaces and bangles, and they're sweating and tired and probably hurting, but they keep smiling for the cameras.

So do I care if they lip sync?

NO.

Because you know what? They do enough for me by getting out of bed in the morning. If they made it to the point where I'm supporting their group and watching their variety shows and putting up with crappy drama plots so I can see their faces then they can go a head and lip sync for performances. It doesn't affect me and to be honest, it won't affect a music channel's integrity if the groups don't sing live. Shocking, I know.

Look there's a reason I have no desire to be a performer and it's because I couldn't handle the pressure. So as a fan, I have no right to criticize how an idol group does their job, because I'm not in their shoes. The people who are calling the shots at MBC are probably not idols, so until they walk in the shoes of an idol I say they have no right to yank MR and AR out from under their feet like this.

TL;DR: Don't compare Rookie groups to TVXQ when you talk about lip syncing because for god sake they're just kids. Half of them are younger than their fans and if you think you can criticize them from behind a computer screen then you need to have a seat.