Celebrities Mentioning the 'COVID-19' Situation... Flood of Malicious Comments on SNS

Photo by singer Jo Jang-hyuk, captured from Facebook

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Amid mixed reactions of support and criticism regarding celebrities' remarks related to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), these celebrities' social network service (SNS) accounts have been flooded with malicious comments.

On the 24th, singer Jo Jang-hyuk posted on his Facebook, "'People come first!' still echoes in my ears, but maybe it was just an election campaign slogan. Am I the only one feeling disappointed in the country?"

On the 25th, broadcaster Park Myung-soo mentioned the mask shortage caused by the COVID-19 situation during his radio show.

On that day’s KBS Cool FM 'Park Myung-soo’s Radio Show,' after hearing a listener’s story about purchasing reusable masks due to the shortage, Park said, "I saw people lining up to buy masks," and lamented, "Is it reasonable that there are no masks?"

He expressed his opinion, saying, "Masks cost 4,000 won each now. Previously, if you bought in bundles, it was about 800 won per mask, so the price has quadrupled. Masks should be placed in public institutions so anyone can use them conveniently. Those who distribute and sell masks should make some profit, but since all citizens need masks, I hope they help out. Masks should be comfortably available to everyone."

Actor Jin Seo-yeon / Photo by Jin Seo-yeon Instagram capture

Actress Jin Seo-yeon posted a screenshot on her Instagram account of a site selling 50 medical masks for 114,000 won, strongly criticizing, "Trash-like, inhuman people."

She said, "Is this something to do? Taking outrageous profits when people’s lives are at stake, and the government is doing nothing. They should be cursed with every possible insult and held accountable for all crimes."

Later, Jin Seo-yeon added, "With mask profiteering rampant on all online shopping sites and countermeasures pouring out but delayed and failing to catch profiteering companies at this point, what is the problem?"

Netizens continue to debate over celebrities’ remarks related to the COVID-19 situation. Some see these as principled statements from public figures, while others leave malicious comments on the celebrities’ social network service (SNS) accounts.

Some netizens responded, "If you’re so worried about masks, donate as a celebrity," "Public figures made statements causing social confusion," "They were reckless despite the government’s efforts," "There are procedures even when taking measures, so be patient," "This is baseless criticism," and "It’s not right to blame the government unconditionally."

On the other hand, other netizens left supportive comments such as, "I support the principled remarks," "Public figures should point out current problems," "I agree. The mask profiteering issue is serious," and "That’s right. It’s very hard to get masks."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.