SHINee member Key of the idol group has been embroiled in allegations that he has a long-standing friendship with comedian Park Na-rae's "jusaimo," and he has continued to attract attention by not issuing a separate statement.
On the 14th, SHINee's Key is continuing his North American tour "Keyland in USA" in the United States. During local performances, images of Key are being steadily shared with fans via social media. In addition, fans' voices calling for Key's explanation regarding his friendship with "jusaimo" have been growing louder.
A, known by the nickname "jusaimo," was originally the figure who drew attention over alleged illegal medical activities with Park Na-rae. Recently, as Park Na-rae was accused by former managers of various "gapjil" abuses, operating a one-person agency without registration and illegal medical acts, on the 6th a connection to his illegal medical activities was raised involving the so-called "jusaimo."
A introduced herself on her personal social media as a graduate of Inner Mongolia Foqiang Medical University. However, medical organizations such as the Korean Medical Association Organization and the Korean Nursing Association (KNA) asserted that A is not someone who legally obtained a medical license in Korea. They also said that the Inner Mongolia Foqiang Medical University that A claimed to have completed is a "ghost medical school" with no real existence even in China. This has led to increased suspicion that A herself was not a medical professional but was performing unlicensed procedures.
In particular, she is known to have followed various celebrities on her personal social media and flaunted her connections to the entertainment industry. She filmed scenes of SHINee's Key's home and even made remarks emphasizing a relationship of more than 10 years with Key's pet dogs, Comme des and Garçon, which became a topic of public interest.
However, industry consensus is that A's follows are meaningless one-sided followings. In fact, singer Jung Jae-hyung, while appearing on MBC's variety program I Live Alone, helped Park Na-rae with kimchi making and when implicated by the phrase "make the IV reservation for me too," he denied involvement through his agency, saying they were "not acquainted at all."
The problem is that among those involved, only SHINee's Key and his agency SM Entertainment have maintained silence without issuing a separate official statement. Given Key's usual clear speech and self-expression that have endeared him to audiences across many variety programs including I Live Alone, the prevailing reaction is that it is hard to understand why he alone remains silent over the "jusaimo" controversy.
Nevertheless, some within Key's fandom are still waiting for an official statement from Key and the agency. Because Key is currently conducting a North American tour, they infer that he may find it difficult to speak out on a sensitive matter that could affect contractual relationships with overseas concert promoters and the progress of performances.
Meanwhile, the production team of I Live Alone released a preview announcing a new episode featuring SHINee's Key. This has been interpreted as indicating there is no problem with Key's broadcast appearance. Fans' anticipation for an official announcement from Key and the agency has increased.
[Photo] OSEN DB, MBC source.
[OSEN]