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IU faces online demands to fund election protesters amid ballot paper chaos
🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

IU faces online demands to fund election protesters amid ballot paper chaos

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Singer IU is facing online demands to pre-pay for coffee and bread for protesters demonstrating over ballot paper shortages in the recent local elections.
  • The demands stem from IU's past actions of pre-paying for food and drinks for fans attending a rally calling for President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment.
  • Similar demands have been made against other celebrities like Lee Dong-wook and Yuri from Girls' Generation, whose social media accounts have been flooded with comments related to the protests.

South Korean singer and actress IU has become the latest celebrity targeted by political controversy, facing online demands to pre-pay for coffee and bread for protesters. The demonstrators are rallying against ballot paper shortages during the recent local elections, which have led to calls for a re-election.

Please pre-pay for Starbucks in Jamsil.

— NetizenA comment on IU's Instagram demanding pre-payment for coffee, referencing the location of a protest.

Online communities have seen a rapid spread of screenshots showing comments on IU's Instagram page. These comments include requests such as "Please pre-pay for Starbucks in Jamsil," "There are people gathered in Jamsil due to election fraud. Will you pre-pay?" and "It's contradictory if you don't pre-pay while protesting the election commission."

The basis for these demands lies in IU's previous actions in December 2024. At that time, she pre-paid for food and beverages to support fans attending a rally calling for President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment. Her support included 100 loaves of bread, 100 drinks, 100 servings of gukbap (rice soup), 100 servings of separately served gukbap, and 100 rice cakes.

There are people gathered in Jamsil due to election fraud. Will you pre-pay?

— NetizenAnother comment on IU's Instagram linking the protest to election fraud and requesting pre-payment.

Following this precedent, some netizens argue that IU should provide similar support, including meals and snacks, to those protesting the current ballot paper shortage. IU is not the only celebrity facing such demands; actors Lee Dong-wook and Yuri from the group Girls' Generation, who also pre-paid for items during the impeachment political climate, have seen similar comments on their social media.

It's contradictory if you don't pre-pay while protesting the election commission.

— NetizenA comment on IU's Instagram suggesting hypocrisy if she doesn't support the protesters financially.

Lee Dong-wook's Instagram has comments questioning his silence on voter disenfranchisement and suggesting he is living in a different reality. Yuri's social media also features comments asking why she is not offering support, such as drinks or encouragement, and why she is passively observing the "Jamsil ballot situation."

Why are you not speaking out when voting rights are being restricted and taken away?

— NetizenA comment on Lee Dong-wook's Instagram questioning his silence on the election issues.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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