Stars like IU, SNSD Yuri, and NewJeans, who expressed solidarity with the impeachment protests against President Yoon Sukyeol, are facing calls for boycotts from some online communities. However, other netizens have responded with overwhelming support, vowing to counter these boycotts by boosting sales instead.
The protests, which began after President Yoon declared martial law, have been ongoing in Yeouido for two weeks. Various celebrities supported the protesting citizens by prepaying for meals and supplies. On December 13, IU’s agency shared a statement, saying, “We prepared food and hot packs at five stores in Yeouido, hoping to warm the frozen hands of UAENA (IU’s fandom) who have been holding their lightsticks in the cold.” IU prepaid for 200 pieces of bread, 100 rice cakes, 200 drinks, and 200 bowls of soup at local stores as a gesture of encouragement.
Similarly, film director Park Chanwook purchased all the bread from a bakery near the National Assembly and distributed it to protesters. SNSD's Yuri prepaid for Kimbap at a local store and expressed her gratitude to fans singing Into the New World at the protest. Meanwhile, NewJeans announced through their newly launched “NewJeanz” account that they had prepaid for 500 servings of food, including gimbap, drinks, and chicken soup, to support their fans attending the protests.
With the organizers estimating over 2 M participants in the Yeouido protests and polls showing overwhelming support for impeachment, the celebrities’ actions have been met with widespread applause from many netizens.
However, some netizens have proposed a boycott movement against IU, Yuri, and NewJeans by circulating the list of brands endorsed by the stars and encouraging others to avoid purchasing those products. The boycott suggestions quickly spread across online communities.
Yet, many netizens have criticized the boycott effort, arguing, “What does it matter if stars care about their fans?” “Don’t they know this is pointless?” “Let’s buy even more.” This sentiment appears to have turned the boycott into a backfire, with some brands reporting no significant impact on sales. A representative of one related brand told Ilgan Sports, “We’ve seen the reports but noticed no major changes in sales over the weekend.”
Meanwhile, on December 14, the National Assembly voted on the impeachment motion against President Yoon Sukyeol. Of 300 lawmakers, 204 voted in favor, 85 against, with 3 abstentions and 8 invalid votes. As a result, President Yoon’s duties have been suspended.
-Look at them pretending to boycott something they never used to begin with!
-Sure, go ahead~~ And please don’t come to the concerts either^^
-.... Boycott? It's not like you've ever spent money on them anyway...ㅋ
-'Certain netizens' = incelsㅋㅋㅋ Can you even afford New Balance?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-I’ll buy stuff related to IU, NewJeans, and Yuri myself then!!
-They weren’t buying anything in the first place anywayㅋㅋㅋ
-Actually, this is great. Don’t f*cking come to the concerts or events so that I can get a spot.
-How can they boycott something when they never spent money on it to begin with?
-They were never the target audience anyway, so why are they making a fuss?
-'We’ve noticed no major sales impact over the weekend' ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Step outside or spend some money before you talk.
-How exactly are these beggars going to boycott anything?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-You’d have to buy something first to boycott itㅋㅋ
-They're talking as if they were spending money in the first placeㅋ
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