Singer Ahn Ye-eun announced plans to sue absurd malicious commenters who claim she is Japanese rather than Korean.
Ahn Ye-eun announced plans to sue the malicious commenters on social media on Oct. 17.
She said, "I was asked to post this as a permanent post instead of a disappearing story, so I'm leaving it as a post," and added, "The reason my feedback was delayed is that those absurd comments I never expected kept being reposted, so I wondered whether I really had to respond? Then, seeing people still diligently commenting until this morning, I thought I should do something. My agency actually acted much faster than I did and collected PDFs in advance. I am grateful," she said.
She went on, "You seem to keep commenting in any spare moment while spending your days diligently. There are many more screenshots than the ones I brought because you left so many comments, but the content is very similar and it might be tiring for others to see, so I only brought a few. I also sprinkled in some cute cushions here and there. It seems the teachers have been studying national history hard lately; I support you," she wittily described the malicious comments.
But the actual malicious comments directed at Ahn Ye-eun were outrageous. Remarks questioning her nationality such as "Are you even Korean?", "Ahn Ye-eun who likes Japan", "There are no elementary or middle school records?", and "You sing about Korean sentiment yet like the Japanese — is Ahn Ye-eun really Korean?" shocked many.
In response, Ahn Ye-eun even revealed childhood photos to refute the claims. In particular, she said, "Among the malicious comments full of malice, I saw my friend's death mentioned. I thought, 'This is really not okay,' and I was so angry that I gathered the malicious comments in a story. Then I learned why you were so obsessed with calling me a 'native Japanese collaborator.' It seems you think I'm 'Japanese.' I don't know how to prove this, but I am Korean," she said.
She also said, "It is true that I like Japanese music and manga. But I also know Korean spirit, grief, and history that must not be forgotten. I am Korean. What more should I say?" She emphasized, "I haven't lived that long and my career hasn't been that long either, but within these years—neither very short nor very long—this is the first time I've faced misunderstanding about my nationality. It's strange. I haven't distorted history nor is it hard to disclose my alma mater, and it's ridiculous to say 'no elementary or middle school records means not Korean.' Spending nearly three weeks addressing this kind of non-explanation is also laughable," she stressed.
Ahn Ye-eun added, "If your anger won't subside, I recommend listening to 'Song of Cell Block No. 8' while shouting 'Long live Korean independence.' The lyrics of a song actually sung by independence activists in prison during the Japanese colonial period were unearthed, and Korean Ahn Ye-eun set the lyrics to a melody and sang it. Thanks to this song, I have been invited to many March 1 and Liberation Day events, where I sing it passionately with my fist raised while shouting 'Long live Korean independence.' Or there's the song 'Ten Months and Nine Days' written and sung by Korean Ahn Ye-eun. It contains a story about Hangul Day. It's a gentle song, so it might help calm your mind," she advised.
Fans reacted with outrage to the absurd comments questioning Ahn Ye-eun's nationality, saying, "Isn't this the 2025 version of 'Is she dating someone famous'?"
Ahn Ye-eun debuted in 2016 and gained recognition through the SBS entertainment program K-pop Star 5. She has been praised for songs that capture Korean sentiment, including Sangsa-hwa, Hongyeon and Song of Cell Block No. 8.
The following is the full text of Ahn Ye-eun's post.
To the teachers.
I was asked to post this as a permanent post instead of a disappearing story, so I'm leaving it as a post.
The reason my feedback was delayed is... those absurd comments I never expected kept being reposted... so I wondered whether I really had to respond..? Then, seeing people still diligently commenting until this morning, I thought I should do something.. My agency actually acted much faster than I did and collected PDFs in advance.. I am grateful.
You seem to keep commenting in any spare moment while spending your days diligently.. There are many more screenshots than the ones I brought because you left so many comments, but the content is very similar and it might be tiring for others to see, so I only brought a few. I also sprinkled in some cute cushions here and there.
It seems the teachers have been studying national history hard lately; I support you..
This got so long as I was writing that I attached photos. It seems text beyond a certain length doesn't fit in the main body. Thanks to that, I realized it for the first time. Thank you!<
[Photo] OSEN DB, source: SNS.
[OSEN]