IU, NewJeans and other South Korean celebs target of netizens who want to report them to the CIA
On Tuesday (Dec 17), an online user posted a list of celebrities who allegedly called for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment following his martial law declaration. The user encouraged others to report the celebrities on the list to the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
South Korean singer IU and the members of K-pop girl group NewJeans in an episode of the former's YouTube show. (Photo: YouTube/IU Official)
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IU, NewJeans and many other celebrities have drawn the ire of politically conservative-leaning South Korean netizens who claim that they are supporting communist forces by calling for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment.
These users have since resorted to reporting the celebrities to the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
On Tuesday (Dec 17), an anonymous user of the South Korean portal DC Inside posted a compilation of South Korean celebrities who allegedly supported Yoon's impeachment, following his martial law declaration, and encouraged other users to report the celebrities to the CIA.
These include IU, NewJeans, Girls' Generation's Yuri, Mamamoo's Moonbyul, girl group Stayc, comedian Park Myung-soo, and actors Lee Dong-wook and Ahn Bo-hyun.
The celebrities were perceived to have supported protests calling for Yoon's impeachment through their actions. For instance, IU, NewJeans and Yuri provided free food and drinks to protestors – with Yuri also publicly supporting the use of the Girls' Generation song, Into The New World, as a rallying cry for protestors.
Lee Dong-wook, on the other hand, shared an Instagram story of a candlelight, set to Into The New World.
Other DC Inside users have since posted screenshots of their reports to the CIA. They believe that reporting these celebrities would trigger investigations and make it hard for them to enter the US.
Netizens have also started leaving hate comments on IU's Instagram page, accusing her of "not knowing the value of freedom".
On the flip side, a Lotteria outlet in Ansan, Gyeonggi has received a surge of ironic five-star reviews after it was reported that high-ranking military officials met there, two days before Yoon announced martial law, to discuss how they would enact Yoon's plans.
"What kind of burger was so irresistible that even a traitor couldn't resist it?" wrote a netizen.
"It's a national cultural heritage. I hope dramas and movies are filmed here in the future," wrote another commenter.
