On Dec 3rd, President Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law sent shockwaves across the nation. Fortunately, the measure was lifted within a day, but rallies demanding the president’s resignation and impeachment continued.
What stood out this time was the changed behavior of celebrities. Unlike the past, when they avoided taking a stance on political issues, many are now making their voices heard, some even stepping out to the streets with light sticks or offering support through prepaid contributions.
Director Park Chan-wook purchased all the bread made that day from a bakery near National Assembly Building in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul and distributed it to citizens attending nearby rallies. Utilizing his movie “Decision to Leave”, Park added stickers to the bread bags that read, “Decision to leave Yoon Suk-yeol” and “Do you really think the people are that easy to handle?”
IU’s agency, EDAM Entertainment, stated, “In hopes of warming the cold hands of UAENA (IU’s fandom) holding their light sticks and brightening the rally, we prepared food and hot packs.” They announced that prepaid orders had been placed at five stores around Yeouido. IU prepared 200 pieces of bread, 100 rice cakes, 200 drinks and 200 bowls of rice soup.
The performers of the rally’s most frequently sung anthem “Into the New World”, Yuri and Seohyun, also showed their support. Yuri prepaid for kimbap at a shop in Dangsan-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, while Seohyun posted a photo of Han Kang’s book “Human Acts” alongside lyrics from “Into the New World”.
NewJeans, through their newly opened account, shared, “We prepared this in hopes of being of any help. Please stay safe and fighting!” They shared information about prepaid orders of kimbap, drinks and 500 portions of ginseng chicken soup.
Other stars who voiced their support included Go Min-si, Lee Chae-yeon, P.O, Lee Dong-wook, Tony Ahn, Choi Min-sik, Han Ye-ri and G-Dragon.
While many praised the courage of these stars, the backlash was intense. On Dec 14th, after the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol was passed in the National Assembly’s plenary session, some announced a boycott of the celebrities who had supported the rallies. A section of netizens called for avoiding products endorsed by stars such as IU, Yuri and NewJeans, who had supported rally participants through prepaid meals.
Additionally, controversy arose over allegations of misconduct by prepaid vendors. Reports claimed that some stores prioritized on-site payments or delivery orders over prepaid ones, causing operational issues. One netizen, identified as A, shared their experience, “I went to a kimbap store with prepaid orders, but the prepaid orders kept being delayed because of delivery orders. I waited 45 minutes, but only five people ahead of me were served. At a cookie shop with prepaid orders, they said ‘We’re too busy with customers right now’ and proceeded to take new orders. Prepaid orders are still orders placed by paying customers—they shouldn’t treat them like free handouts to beggars.”
Netizens expressed anger, commenting, “There’s no way to check if the prepaid amount was actually used”, “This is an abuse of goodwill”, “They should verify quantities and refund any leftover funds” and “There are likely many vendors who exploited this situation.”
The post “Boycott IU, Yuri, NewJeans” Fallout After Supporting Impeachment Rally, Prepaid Vendors Accused of “Eat and Run” appeared first on KBIZoOm. KBIZoOm – Breaking news about K-pop, K-drama, Anime/Manga and worldwide entertainment KBIZoOm – Breaking news about K-pop, K-drama, Anime/Manga and worldwide entertainment
