Lee Seunghwan at the Center of Controversy Again... Why Netizens Are 'Indifferent' to His Personal Opinion

Singer Lee Seunghwan [Image source = Provided by Dream Factory] [Image source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Singer Lee Seung-hwan has once again become the center of controversy due to remarks supporting the current administration.

On the 26th, Lee Seung-hwan posted on his SNS, "I'm tired of that damn red commie talk, but if I looked like a kid... th-th-tha..."

The photo attached to his post showed malicious comments on his concert video. The comments read, "Lee Seung-hwan, you red commie bastard. Don't meddle in politics, just sing properly. Don't interfere while a kid is ruining the country."

Earlier, on the 24th, when the court suspended the disciplinary action against Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, Lee publicly expressed discomfort by saying, "Is the whole world beneath your feet?"

He also added hashtags such as "#ProsecutorReform #JudicialReform #MediaReform".

The next day, on the 25th, through another post, he wrote, "We will win. We will not be broken," linking to a song he performed at the 'Bongha Concert' commemorating the 74th birthday of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun in August this year.

Born in 1965, Lee is known as a representative politainer (a celebrity engaged in political activities) in the music industry. During the Park Geun-hye administration, he participated in candlelight protests condemning the state affairs manipulation scandal, and under the current administration, he has actively participated in rallies urging prosecutorial reform, openly showing his political stance without hesitation.

When Moon Jae-in was elected as the 19th president in 2017, Lee posted a congratulatory message saying, "Hooray! I deliberately watched MBC. It was natural, Mr. MB," celebrating the event. In 2018, when asked about his ideal type on a broadcast, he revealed that "I cannot date a woman who supports a party I dislike," indicating that 'political orientation' is an important value to him.

[Image source = KBS Entertainment Weekly broadcast screen capture]

However, netizens seem rather uneasy about Lee's continuous 'principled remarks' making the news nonstop.

Netizen A said, "There is a reason why the principled remarks of many celebrities, including Lee, do not look good," adding, "Most of them made money and gained popularity by adopting the 'anger of common sense people' concept during the previous administration, but in the current administration's chaotic political situation, they show 'selective anger' by defending their side. What they are doing is no longer satire."

Another netizen B also pointed out, "I respect individual political orientations. However, considering the influence of their position as celebrities, they should consider whether their posts are 'criticism' containing objective content or 'condemnation' for incitement."

Regarding Lee's remarks, social critic Choi Sung-jin explained, "Singer Lee Seung-hwan's comments about Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl are merely personal opinions," adding that since he lives based on public popularity, some parts of his remarks may be inappropriate.

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