Veteran singer causes stir with social media message
Singer and musical actress Yoon Bok-hee, 70, drew the ire of protesters demanding the resignation of President Park Geun-hye, with a recent social media message.
She wrote on her Twitter account Tuesday, “Pray for the Republic of Korea. Let’s pray for our country. Lord, please respond to our prayer.” She also posted “Lord, help us expel the red forces and devils that are rampant in this nation.”
Her message was deleted after spreading quickly online.
Yoon didn’t specify whom she meant by “the red forces.” Considering that people here commonly use red to refer to communists or their sympathizers, her tweet was interpreted to refer to the protesters who took to the street to urge President Park to step down to take responsibility for the Choi Soon-sil scandal.
Internet users criticized the veteran singer for her remarks. One blogger said she was a fan of the singer but disappointed after reading her tweet. “I regret that the singer characterizes the candlelit protesters as communist sympathizers,” the blogger wrote. Another internet user mocked Yoon and called her part of the 4 percent of hardcore Park supporters who never withdraw their support for the President despite the Choi scandal.
As her messages angered the protesters, she tried to allay them and said she was quoted out of context.
In a media interview, Yoon said she meant “divisive or polarizing people” with “red forces” she used in her social media message.
“I meant all of us need to be united, not divided, and should pray for our nation in peril,” she was quoted as saying. She dismissed the allegation that she used “the red forces and devils” to refer to the protesters and stressed she never mentioned candles.
“The protesters are rallying for their cause peacefully, aren’t they? This is something we should be proud of. I’ve never tried to downplay or make scathing remarks on them,” she said.
Despite her remarks, her Twitter message continued to cause a stir.