Super Junior's Choi Si-won directly explained his post mourning Charlie Kirk, a U.S. conservative political commentator.
Choi Si-won sent a long message to fans through the official fan community Bubble on the 12th, explaining his thoughts on the controversy over mourning Charlie Kirk.
He explained, "There has been a lot of talk about my mourning of Charlie Kirk, so I will explain. He was a Christian, the head of a household, and a husband. Whatever the circumstances, the fact that he lost his life in a shooting while speaking before many college students is a heartbreaking tragedy beyond political tendencies. That is why I mourned him."
He continued, "After posting it, I am grateful that the media gave it a lot of attention, but because it seems to have been interpreted by the media and others differently from my intention, I judged that my insufficient feelings would have been sufficiently conveyed and removed the post. But because there is still a lot of interest, I am explaining it like this."
Earlier, on the 11th Choi Si-won uploaded a photo of Charlie Kirk to his social media with the caption REST IN PEACE CHARLIE KIRK. He had also previously posted a family photo of Charlie Kirk bearing the phrase Well done, good and faithful servant.
Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on the 10th while giving a lecture at Utah Valley University as part of the 'American Comeback Tour.' He was reportedly answering audience questions on stage when an assailant shot him in the neck, resulting in his death.
However, Charlie Kirk has been called a close associate of President Donald Trump and has acted as a leading far-right political commentator. He drew heavy criticism in the U.S. for remarks such as "we must accept some sacrifices to uphold the Second Amendment" even as mass shootings continued to cause innocent child casualties.
In addition, it became known that the church Charlie Kirk attended had extreme conservative leanings, and criticism of him rose domestically as accusations of homophobia, racist remarks and even controversy over not attending a Biden campaign event during the 2020 presidential election surfaced. In this context, domestic and international fans expressed disappointment after Choi Si-won posted a message mourning Charlie Kirk.
As the controversy grew, Choi Si-won deleted the post, but fans' anger did not subside. He sent fans a direct message to explain, but the reaction was cold. Moreover, accounts demanding Choi Si-won's withdrawal have appeared on social media, and hashtag campaigns such as #SIWON_OUT are actively spreading, especially among overseas fans.
Despite this, Choi Si-won shared a Bible verse instead of an additional statement, saying, "I am fine. Please pray on my behalf for those who insult me. That is the way of a Christian."
Meanwhile, Super Junior, the group Choi Si-won belongs to, is currently holding the 20th anniversary tour "SUPER SHOW 10."
[Photo] OSEN DB, SNS
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