Netizen Exposes A Reason Why Popular Idols Such As IVE’s Jang Wonyoung Seem To Receive So Much Hate Online

The lengths some will go to.

It’s no easy job being an idol. You have to go through tedious schedules under harsh diets, but you also have no forgo privacy and time with friends and family. It also takes a toll on your mental stability, especially when you are on the receiving end of senseless hate. While some agencies make an effort to sue such online trolls, others can only let things slide. Online hate is especially targeted toward rising and popular idols. One such example of an idol at the receiving end of vast amounts of hate daily is IVE‘s Jang Wonyoung.

Jang Wonyoung

Having debuted at an early age, she riled up the envy of many other teenagers and even adults alike. While her life may seem blessed to the public with unlimited luxury goods, a steady income, and a jet-setting lifestyle, Wonyoung is one of the current idols who suffer the most criticism and hate.

Back in 2019, she was primarily hated for an expression caught in a video circulated online as a gif. In the short clip, Wonyoung appears to roll her eyes in discomfort while looking in the direction of a fellow IZ*ONE member. Just by watching this short clip without context, many jumped to accuse Wonyoung of giving a snarky look towards a member out of disgust. They claimed she had a bad attitude towards her members.

Gif of Wonyoung that was circulated online. | Off The Record

In response, fans explained that she has a habit of rolling her eyes from the dry contact lenses, but netizens did not buy it.

Example of the hate Wonyoung has been receiving since IZ*ONE days. | Nate Pann via Instiz
  • “You can just tell how she is on the regular by seeing how she can put on such expressions in front of the camera as soon as she debuts.”
  • “I’m surprised that sort of expression can come from a 2nd grader in middle school.”
  • “It’s true about Jang Wonyoung’s school violence. LOL Those that say it’s rumors are the same as those that believe that the stuff about Lee Chaeyoung, Kim Sohye, and Seo Jisoo are rumors too.”
  • “Seems like she can’t hide it because she’s still young.”
  • “They say it’s because of her dry contact lens, but why are her lip corners like that? Her expression is also super rotten.”

Recently, a netizen exposed why she had been receiving so much hate online. While some may indeed organically come from those who hold unfounded vengeance towards her, some may be the result of part-timers. Someone had been hiring part-timers to upload hate comments about the poor girl.

Netzien aeSooman exposes a hater for attempting to hire part-timers. | aeSooman/YouTube

The advertisement read as the following.

I’m looking for someone who will write comments with me from today on in Jang Wonyoung videos on YouTube to complain about her expressions. I will give you ₩50 KRW (about $0.04 USD) for short comments and ₩100 KRW (about $0.08 USD) for long ones. I hope many people apply.

(Long comment example: She looks like someone that does drugs in a club; why is a young kid like that? Purposefully making sexy expressions sigh…it’s too detrimental to young kids;)

— Advertisement to hire part-timers for hate comments

After it was brought to light, many netizens expressed their concern for Wonyoung and condemned the hater.

Netizens condemned the hater. | Nate Pann
  • “It’s disgusting how they are even going to use the money to put up hate comments about a minor.”
  • “Why are they doing that, for real? They need to be punished truly.”
  • “Can they even function in society…?”
  • “Giving someone ₩100 KRW (about $0.08 USD) to criticize someone else. LOL, Do they want to hate on someone but not have money? These haters need to receive financial treatment.”
  • “Please try to do that to celebrities who drink-drive or stuff like that instead, tsk.”

This phenomenon of using part-timers to write hate comments is not uncommon in South Korea. Part-timers can be used for jobs such as streaming music or music videos. Hopefully, entertainment companies will take it as a cue to provide better welfare and care for their artists and take charge of legal proceedings.

Jang Wonyoung
Source: Nate Pann

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