https://m.kukinews.com/article/view/kuk202412090176
Lim Youngwoong celebrated his dog's birthday on his social media account on the 7th. However, he was criticized for being thoughtless as he posted it on the same day as the dismissal of President Yoon's impeachment.
A netizen sent Lim Youngwoong a DM, pointing out his indifference towards the current political situation, to which Lim Youngwoong responded, "What?", "Am I a politician?", and "Why should I speak up?". Screenshots of their conversation quickly spread across online communities and the public's sentiment towards Lim Youngwoong deteriorated in an instant.
(Cont'd)
An insider of a music management company, A, told Cookie News, "It's right to speak up about the current situation, but forcing other people to (speak up) is not. Some netizens seem to approach celebrities to validate their opinions." A added, "However, we shouldn't tolerate if the celebrity reacts sharply about it. Since this is a very serious issue, we should be more careful about it."
A broadcasting insider, B, expressed an opposing opinion. B stated, "As images are the most important thing for celebrities, they often avoid making political statements. However, in a situation as critical as impeachment, protecting your image as a celebrity is meaningless. It is no longer unusual for celebrities to express their opinions on impeachment or other related matters. It's simply something that they should do as citizens."
-He could've just ignored the DM, but he chose to reply with 'What?'. That's why people are disappointed in him, especially because he had a positive image to begin with.
-You should've just ignored the DM, Mr. Lim 'What?'.
-Regardless whether he chooses to speak up or not, his attitude was just not it.
-Celebrities make their living off their images, so what can you do? That 'What?' reply was just so... off-putting. Even if it offended him, he should've just brushed it off. There are so many citizens protesting out there right now, and he said, "Why should I speak up when I'm not even a politician?" That's just very disappointing.
-Forcing?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ It's not like your phone will explode if you don't respond to an Instagram DM.
-He didn't do anything wrong, it's just that what he did was very disappointing. Why even bother writing an article about it? To make him receive even more hate?
-If the purpose of this article was to stop Lim Youngwoong from receiving hate, it was absolutely a wrong decision. They should've just let it die down. Writing an article about it is like promoting people to hate him moreㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-His next song title should be 'What?'
-If he’d just stayed quiet, at least half of this would have been avoided. 'What?'ㅋㅋㅋ
-The problem isn’t that Lim Youngwoong didn’t make a political statement, it’s how he handled the situation. Articles like this feel like they’re trying to change the narrative, and that’s frustrating.
-If he’d just stayed quiet, at least half of this would have been avoided. But 'What?'ㅋㅋㅋ
