KARA and Super Junior’s Siwon receive criticism in relation to Dokdo dispute between Korea and Japan
Recently, tension between Korea and Japan heightened due to the controversy surrounding the sovereignty of Dokdo, a group of islets located in the Sea of Japan. With both countries claiming ownership of the islets, comments made by public figures in regards to the issue have been widely reported by the media and criticized by the general public. Because of this, many celebrities have been under fire for their comments, or lack thereof, in relation to the problem.
Earlier in the month, Super Junior's Siwon was heavily criticized as he re-tweeted a message posted by South Korean president Lee Myungbak, who said that Dokdo belongs to South Korea and thus they must fight to protect it. Additionally, Siwon's father had also been criticizing Japan on his personal twitter, adding fuel to the fire at the expense of his son's image.
In response, Super Junior's Japanese fans expressed disappointment towards Siwon, even going as far as threatening to throw eggs at Siwon during the group's recent visit to Japan for a fan meeting. The fans expressed, "We know that the government in Japan and Korea don't think alike, and that's not something that can be controlled, but there is no need to discuss it on Twitter."
KARA also suffered the same fate, but for an opposite reason. During the press conference for the group's new album, "Pandora," the members were asked about their views on the Dokdo issue, to which Park Gyuri replied, "We haven’t been promoting in Korea for a long time, but we have received a lot of love from the fans in Japan, so we’re very grateful."
Although Park Gyuri successfully dodged the question, Korean netizens criticized KARA for only caring about making money and not willing to support their home country.
Given the two incidents, it appears that celebrities are likely to face criticism regardless of the response they give. Where do you think the problem lies?
Source: Chinatimes, Ming Pao News, and @siwon407
_carpediem 34 Points
First of all why did the person even ask Gyuri about her thought on the issue? It was after a press conference for the group comeback so shouldn't all question be about their comeback only? O_o
jackna 0 Points
This is a sensitive issue between SK and Japan. No matter the response from anyone, it will not be taken lightly. There will always be a backlash of remarks for or against the person or individual concluding their own opinion and thought. Sadly the press always wants to make more business from this issue by pin pointing an exact person/group.
littleturtle 15 Points
are you serious?
geez. -.-
they're only people. just chill out.
Is Siwon not allowed to have his own thoughts and opinions or something?
people are so dramatic these days.
lilichan9 0 Points
i think celebrities should stay away from this controversy !
it's an old debate between SK and Japan so i don't think they would be able to change something here so no need to give their personal opinion on the subject.
i'm an ELF but i agree that Siwon should be more careful with his words, he is a celebrity so of course his words will have an impact on his fans, he should have thought more carefully.