Idol-Turned-Actress Gets Political And Says She’ll “Leave Her Career Behind” Amid Backlash
Former Berry Good member Johyun, now an actress under the name Shin Jee Won, is drawing attention after publicly speaking out amid protests over South Korea’s June 3 local elections.
On June 6, 2026 (KST), Shin Jee Won posted photos of citizens protesting in connection with the recent ballot paper shortage controversy. She wrote, “Citizens of Jamsil! Citizens of South Korea! Please make sure to eat and take care of your health.”
The protests began after a serious ballot paper shortage disrupted voting at multiple polling stations during South Korea’s June 3 local elections. Reuters reported that 50 out of 14,300 polling stations ran out of ballots, with voting temporarily suspended at 22 locations due to delays in receiving new supplies. Some voters were reportedly forced to wait for hours or leave without casting their ballots, sparking public anger over whether citizens’ voting rights had been properly protected.
The controversy quickly became politicized, however, because the protests were not only about election mismanagement. Demonstrators, including conservative YouTubers and far-right groups, gathered near the SK Olympic Handball Stadium in Seoul, where ballots were being counted, and called for the entire election to be re-run. Some protesters also blocked ballot boxes and prevented election officials from leaving the counting site, leading riot police to intervene.
That said, Shin Jee Won’s post quickly drew backlash online, which appeared to stem from this political context. To a DM calling the protesters “ilbe insurrectionist rioters,” using politically charged language aimed at right-wing voters, Shin Jee Won shared a screenshot of the message and responded, “Are you not a citizen of South Korea?”
She continued, “Are the people cursing really citizens of South Korea? Both the Democratic Party and People Power Party are saying this is serious, so whether it is 1 or 2 is not what matters here.”
While the ballot shortage itself has been acknowledged by election officials and criticized across the political spectrum, the re-run protests have been closely associated with conservative and far-right demonstrators alleging election fraud. The demonstrations also came after President Lee Jae Myung’s ruling Democratic Party won most major mayoral and provincial races nationwide, making public support for the protests especially politically charged.
According to Reuters, the National Election Commission said ballots had been printed for 73% of eligible voters because of unexpectedly high early voting turnout. NEC chief Roh Tae Ak later resigned over the mishandling, calling it a failure in the democratic process. The NEC apologized for the disruption and promised an investigation, but maintained that the ballot shortage did not qualify as grounds to postpone the election or hold a re-election.
As the backlash continued, Shin Jee Won shared a message from a fan who thanked her for speaking up about voting rights but also expressed concern that, as a celebrity, her words could carry professional consequences. In response, Shin Jee Won admitted that she was also afraid. “My hands and heart shake sometimes, too,” she wrote.
She then addressed the possibility of losing her career over her public stance.
When my family and fans, out of love and concern for me, tell me to please stay still, I always brace myself. This is a job I poured all of my 20s into and love so much, so of course, I am scared that I might lose everything.
But if it comes down to people hating me for what I do, then I will leave behind everything I have so preciously protected until now. I can just work even harder and live by doing part-time jobs.
— Shin Jee Won
Shin Jee Won also denied that she was taking a partisan stance, writing, “I am not excessively supporting or cheering for either side. From my early 20s until now, I have consistently supported things and gotten angry about things purely from the standpoint of being a citizen of South Korea.”
Shin Jee Won debuted as Johyun in Berry Good in 2016. After the group disbanded in 2021, she transitioned into acting and began promoting under her real name. She signed with Ghost Studio in 2023 and appeared in the KBS 2TV K-Drama Walking On Thin Ice.
Read more about Shin Jee Won here:
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