Shinhwa member Kim Dong Wan, who faced public backlash for his outspoken remarks, voiced candid thoughts on malicious comments.
On the 2nd, Kim Dong Wan posted on his social account, "In reality I deal with several to dozens of people, but online I realize hundreds to thousands or more are watching me, and I experience mindless attacks in response to offhand remarks," and wrote a meaningful post.
He said, "At that time, with the careless thought of 'Ah, what did I do,' when you hesitate to hide, restrict or block, your fragile and delicate heart undergoes changes through continuous wounds," and added, "You become withdrawn and sensitive, fall into the illusion that such crazy people exist in reality as well, and furthermore can develop PTSD."
He continued, "Quickly delete people you don't have to engage with, and practice keeping only those who can communicate well by your side. We live in an era where, under the pretext of 'interaction,' we face more people than any time in human history. Do not throw away your right to reject discomfort from strangers~! And although it may be scary, only then will you know whether the other person is the strange one or you are," reiterating his position.
Earlier, Kim Dong Wan defended paralyzed YouTuber Park Wi, who was criticized in the controversy over shooting at a social service worker, and drew sharp backlash. Last month Park Wi, who uses a wheelchair, suffered an accident while using a ramp to disembark from the KTX when he tripped over the foot of a social service worker who was supporting the ramp to help him disembark. But despite receiving a polite apology from the social service worker, Park Wi displayed CCTV footage of the accident scene showing the social service worker on his YouTube channel, which many unspecified viewers saw, and he was flooded with criticism.
In the end Park Wi apologized, saying, "I thought negatively about a mistake that occurred in the process of trying to help me better. My way of conveying it was clumsy and my thinking was short," and deleted the problematic video, but the aftermath continued with canceled scheduled talk concerts and his voluntary resignation as a Seoul city promotional ambassador. Amid this, Kim Dong Wan uploaded a post defending Park Wi, saying, "This is his first time with a disability. From the perspective of a person with a disability, he could only think of everything that way," and "I do not know all the ins and outs of this matter. I only think that the time it takes for an ordinary person to appear in the news has become too short."
Among fans, criticism poured in with comments like, "If you stay silent you'll get by." Kim Dong Wan had already caused controversy earlier this year for remarks supporting 'legalizing prostitution' as well as expressing support for a broadcaster embroiled in a female BJ assault controversy. Despite repeated criticism, fans expressed disappointment at his thoughtless actions adding fuel to controversy again, but Kim Dong Wan maintained his stance, saying, "The way the video was released can be criticized. However, I was concerned to see that criticism often spreads to drag up unverified past matters and condemn a person entirely. Criticizing wrongdoing and shaming a person as a group are different. My point is that no one should be the target of that."
[Photo] OSEN DB
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