Actor and rapper Yang Dong-geun deleted a social media post as controversy surrounding his support of the martial law continues.
On the 3rd, Yang Dong-geun posted, "New hiphop trio !! 'BBASE' #빠세 BBASE means three dads, heading to the Donggang Raft Festival!!" along with a video.
The released video shows Yang Dong-geun attending a local festival. Yang Dong-geun, wearing a green hat and holding a microphone in one hand, was preparing to go on stage as a rapper. At the same time, he deleted a shocking post that had recently caused controversy related to his support of the martial law.
Earlier, Yang Dong-geun revealed a post on the 1st that said, "Wash it whiter than snow," along with images of him attending events and performing on stage.
This video is from a youth camp hosted by Pastor Son Hyun-bo at the Busan World Church on the 30th of last month. The controversy arose from the identity of the host. Pastor Son Hyun-bo is a staunch conservative pastor who has made statements suggesting belief in conspiracy theories about fraudulent elections and has supported former President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is charged with 'insurrection,' arguing in favor of martial law. He also led the 'Save Korea' rallies from the emergency martial law situation on Dec. 3 to early this year.
Since Yang Dong-geun had not publicly expressed any political views until now, some internet users criticized him for revealing a political inclination in support of the martial law. They pointed out, "Being with Pastor Son Hyun-bo is no different from expressing a political stance" and "I am disappointed," while others said, "It's a religious activity, so what's the problem?" and "It's just a part of faith and expression."
However, the most problematic aspect was Yang Dong-geun's extreme statements and expressions. The following day, on the 2nd, he left a message in the video saying, "It was my fault for trusting you. You guys can be disappointed and curse as much as you want. You have that freedom. It's just that it doesn't sound right for me to make an extreme choice."
Additionally, in a photo posted with the message, he played around with a child and wrote 'XX' on his forehead with a white marker, and displayed finger gestures that suggest profanity on his cheeks. In particular, 'XX' is a term that implies extreme choices, which shocked viewers. Criticism arose that a famous actor with nearly 40 years in the entertainment industry acted rather recklessly.
In response, his agency stated, "Yang Dong-geun only thinks about the Lord. He is a person with pure faith who goes to any gathering where he can praise God," adding, "I hope there is no misunderstanding that there is any political intention."
Ultimately, as the controversy continued to spread, Yang Dong-geun seemed to have deleted the post.
[Photo] OSEN DB, Yang Dong-geun SNS
[OSEN]