KOYOTE's Shinji and singer Moonwon overcome national opposition and hold a wedding, becoming a married couple.
Shinji and Moonwon will sound the wedding march today (2) at Raum Art Center in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, under the blessings of family, relatives and acquaintances.
Earlier, Shinji first announced the marriage news in June last year. At the time, it drew great interest when it became known that the groom-to-be was singer Moonwon, who is seven years younger, but a matchmaking meeting video later released on a YouTube channel became the spark for controversy. Moonwon's confession that he had been divorced and had a daughter with his ex-wife caused public opinion to cool rapidly.
Shinji said she could "embrace it because I love him," but longtime KOYOTE members Kim Jongmin and Baekga were taken aback. Criticism over Moonwon's attitude, remarks and attire at the matchmaking meeting followed, and there were even calls for "national opposition."
The controversy spread to Moonwon's past background and allegations about his private life. Unverified claims about a stage name change, overseas activities, and his school and military service days spread online, escalating the controversy.
Shinji's side sought to verify the facts and officially explained that "the raised allegations were confirmed to be untrue." Shinji also directly wrote on social media that "we checked all the allegations with the agency and confirmed they were not true. I will be more careful in the future."
However, negative views toward Moonwon remain, and some reactions are still displeased with Moonwon and Shinji's marriage.
On the KBS 2TV program Stars' Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant, which aired on the 24th, Shinji said of Moonwon, "After the controversy over performance congratulatory songs, all work stopped." Moonwon also said, "I looked for things I could do and even did work at a logistics center and stair cleaning," adding, "I couldn't just sit idle; I wanted to help." Everyone admired him, saying, "he is diligent," and Shinji said, "the members were worried and when I said I went to clean, they said he was really diligent."
But after the broadcast, criticism arose that the nuance of "work stopped so he ended up doing logistics and cleaning" sounded like belittling certain jobs, sparking another controversy.
Although the situation continued, Moonwon said, "It can't be helped. I will work hard to show that much effort for the fans who love Shinji and worry about this." Shinji comforted him, saying, "It's enough even now. Being shown to others isn't everything. There are things that the two of us and the people close to us feel," adding, "I am sufficiently proud, respectful and grateful. Now it's all passed. You endured well."
[Photo] Shinji SNS
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