Singer and actress Son Dam-bi finally snapped after repeated criticism of her hotel manners. It was because the criticism was a forced attempt to find fault.
Son Dam-bi became embroiled in controversy during a summer vacation she took with her family. The controversy unfolded over 20 days, from playing with soap bubbles inside a hotel to allegedly wearing shoes on the bed and other violations of proper usage etiquette.
The first controversy was the soap bubble play. On a trip to Sokcho, Son Dam-bi played with soap bubbles in the hotel room with her daughter. She was criticized for not observing proper etiquette by playing with soap bubbles in a room used by others rather than a private residence, and Son Dam-bi explained, "Many people are worried about the soap bubble play, but I wiped the floor with towels."
Despite continued criticism, Son Dam-bi apologized again, saying, "It was my negligence to play with soap bubbles with my child briefly at the lodging. I cleaned everything thoroughly after playing, but I will act more carefully in the future and be careful to prevent the same thing from happening."
Seventeen days later, on the 24th, another photo became the subject of controversy. Posting, "Today is the last day of my trip to Japan. I'm enjoying it wholeheartedly until the end," Son Dam-bi posed sitting on a hotel room bed wearing blue sneakers. In another photo, she was captured walking on the street wearing the same shoes.
Netizens criticized Son Dam-bi's hotel etiquette, saying things like, "Sitting on the bed with shoes you wore outside is not manners," "She should have been more careful," and "It's regrettable given the recent controversy over room etiquette."
Eventually Son Dam-bi exploded. She said, "This is a hotel where you wear shoes inside. They are even new shoes. What is supposedly bad manners? Please stop. Sorry for making noise." The remarks criticized netizens who hastily point out and escalate issues into controversies without understanding the full context, showing how aggrieved Son Dam-bi felt.
Son Dam-bi expressed that she was upset. She said, "I'm so annoyed, but what can I do?" She acknowledged that the soap bubble play was due to her negligence, but regarding wearing shoes she appeared aggrieved, calling it an unfair attack. Nevertheless, Son Dam-bi added, "I should smile. They say blessings come when you smile. Today too," as a form of mind control.
Son Dam-bi's case is a rebuke and a regret about netizens who assess and judge situations based on a single photo. Criticizing and turning Son Dam-bi's apology and promise to be careful in the future into gossip while treating the soap bubble play lightly should be avoided. It remains to be seen whether Son Dam-bi's outburst against the unfair attacks will prompt any change in netizens' behavior.
[OSEN]