Sulli's older brother commemorated his sister's sixth anniversary and honored the birthday of the late Charlie Kirk.
On the 14th, Sulli's older brother, Mr. Choi, posted on his social account, "I think to love is to accept my misfortune. I honor the anniversary of my beloved sister and the birthday of the young man Charlie Kirk, who loved the United States so much."
He also uploaded side by side a memorial image of the late Charlie Kirk engraved with the phrase "Charlie Kirk, I will never forget your will" along with a photo of Sulli.
Mr. Choi also added a warning phrase, saying, "If this post is attacked, your sanctuary will be completely destroyed. Do not provoke me."
But some fans who saw it reacted negatively. The late Charlie Kirk was an ultraconservative political commentator and known as a close associate of President Donald Trump.
During his life he drew public outrage for saying, "To uphold the Second Amendment we must accept some sacrifices," even amid mass shootings that caused casualties, and he faced heavy criticism in the United States for hateful remarks against sexual minorities and for racial discrimination.
Then, on the 10th of last month (local time), the late Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University in Utah, United States. Afterwards, Super Junior's Choi Si-won and Wonder Girls' Sunye posted tributes to him on social media, faced criticism, and deleted them, later adding explanations that it was "a painful tragedy regardless of political leanings."
Meanwhile, not only domestic but also overseas fans expressed negative reactions to Sulli's older brother mentioning Charlie Kirk's birthday while commemorating his sister's anniversary. Sulli had shown great interest in women's rights during her life and led efforts despite accepting criticism. Placing Sulli, who fought against discrimination and hatred, side by side with Charlie Kirk, who during his life repeatedly made racist and misogynistic remarks, and mourning them together is pointed out as not being in the best interest of the deceased.
One fan appealed, "Please think about Sulli and everything she fought for while she was alive. Sulli surely would have hated her photo being next to that person's. Please respect Sulli and all the fans who miss her. Today is her anniversary, so please spend the day with good memories of her." But Mr. Choi said, "I think there are differences from what my sister fought for, but I think the fundamentals are the same," and added, "I will try to respect the fans' feelings as well. Thank you for your concern and support for my sister."
Overseas fans also left negative comments, saying, "This is really contradictory. Did he know his sister's political stance well? The two people are completely different. Sulli would not want to be honored alongside Charlie Kirk," and Mr. Choi rebutted, "Ultimately, the spirits of the two people are about women's rights and protection."
Another overseas fan pointed out, "I think it is very inappropriate to mention Ms. Sulli together with such a person. It is completely opposite to the values she wanted to protect," but Mr. Choi insisted again, "Both people are about women's rights, safety, and freedom; as a broad framework of spirit there is nothing contradictory. Only their positions and language differ, but the values are the same."
The fan explained, "I do not think so. The courage and sincerity Sulli showed are entirely different from the values of someone who supports discrimination or extremist ideologies. Grouping the two people under the same value distorts her will," but Mr. Choi took a firm stance, saying, "Charlie faced extreme situations and fought within that environment, so he may appear extreme, but his is a humanism that spreads ideology."
Also, the post drew various negative comments such as "Charlie Kirk is misogynistic, and Sulli would have hated it," and "desecration of the dead," but Mr. Choi has been responding to each as "a misinterpretation" and continuing the heated exchange.
Meanwhile, Sulli suddenly passed away on Oct. 14, 2019. She was 25. At the time she was found dead at her home in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and her manager, after a final phone call at about 6:30 p.m. the previous day and failing to reach her, went to her home and found her dead, it was reported. Notably, shortly after Sulli's death on Nov. 24, her close friend Goo Hara from KARA also died at age 28, adding to the sadness.
[Photo] OSEN DB, Sulli's older brother's SNS
[OSEN]