'개념 연예인'이라는 굴레, 선의를 강요하는 팬덤 정치의 민낯 > K-wave Trends

This incident started with a shortage of ballot papers that occurred at the local election held on the 3rd. This administrative ineptitude, which occurred at about 50 polling places across the country, aroused strong criticism that it violated voters' right to vote, and in particular, the social repercussions grew as protests continued for several days at the counting station near Jamsil, calling for a halt to the counting and re-election. Amid this confusion, some protest supporters began to put pressure on celebrities by sharing the list of celebrities who had rallied or supported the impeachment rally during the December 3 martial law emergency. Based on the warm words of celebrities in the past, they took over their SNS, demanding the same strong stance and substantial financial support regarding this incident.

Actress Park Bo-young, who is at the center of the controversy, did not hide her uncomfortable feelings, calling this situation "weird people" through a fan communication platform. She only offered warm words of comfort to fans struggling in the cold weather during past impeachment rallies, but she expressed dismay at the reality being distorted as if it were a permanent declaration of support for a specific political force. Nevertheless, Park Bo-young remained unwavering and showed a mature response, reassuring fans who were worried about her by saying, "Don't worry, there's not much damage." This is interpreted as her will not to have the celebrity's personal life destroyed by being embroiled in political controversy, and as a firm declaration that she will not unconditionally submit to the public's one-sided demands.

Not only Park Bo-young, but also many celebrities including IU, Jo In-sung, Lee Dong-wook, and Yuri are suffering from similar types of pressure. In particular, in the case of IU, the precedent that attracted a lot of attention by paying for drinks and meals in advance at a nearby store for fans at the impeachment rally in the past became the excuse for this incident. Some of the protesters made explicit demands, saying, "Please make prepayments at stores near Jamsil like you did before," and if they did not comply, they criticized it, saying it was "selective justice." Jo In-seong was also asked to clarify his position regarding his thoughts on martial law during the time of martial law, which he mentioned in a past broadcast, and the SNS of Lee Dong-wook and Yuri are also suffering from comments asking them to express their opinions on the violation of voting rights.

This phenomenon clearly shows the abnormal cross-section of ‘fandom politics’ that occurs when popular culture and politics combine. In the past, a celebrity's goodwill was accepted as pure donation or support, but now that goodwill has been replaced by a 'political position' and has become a standard that limits the scope of the celebrity's activities. This dichotomous way of thinking, which considers silence on certain issues as either 'sympathy' or 'betrayal', results in suppressing the political freedom of individual celebrities. From the protesters' perspective, they may claim that it is a legitimate demand to protect the values of democracy, but the act of imposing one's beliefs on others and demanding financial support seems far from the mature civic consciousness that democracy aims for.

Experts warn that such online comment terrorism can become a type of 'digital violence' that goes beyond simple expression of opinions. Attempts to use anonymity as a weapon to target specific people and make them act according to one's will not only cause mental pain to the individual celebrity, but also act as a factor that hinders the formation of a healthy public sphere. It is clear that this shortage of ballot papers is a serious public issue, as a protest crowd of approximately 12,000 people gathered in the Jamsil area. However, it should not be overlooked that relying on celebrities' SNS or forcing their support to solve this problem has the risk of obscuring the essence of the situation and tarnishing the cause of the protesters.