As President Yoon Suk-yeol was arrested on charges of 'ringleader of insurrection,' singer IU (real name Lee Ji-eun) has been subjected to a flood of negative comments. Previously, IU had made a prepayment at a café in Yeouido, where a rally calling for the impeachment of President Yoon was held.
On the 16th, IU's social media (SNS) was filled with comments such as, 'Left IU,' 'The nation's younger sister completely betrayed us,' 'Do you feel relieved? Are you satisfied?' and 'I was a fan of IU, but I’m very disappointed.' Far-right users opposing the arrest and impeachment of President Yoon have been leaving negative comments on IU's Instagram account.
On the other hand, supportive comments followed, including, 'Don’t mind the negative comments,' 'Don’t touch IU,' 'There are many people here who need financial therapy...' and 'Please don’t say anything to IU; it breaks my heart to see this. If you want to say something, do it to me.'
Previously, IU's agency announced that on the 14th of last month, they had pre-paid for 100 breads, 100 drinks, 100 bowls of gukbap and gomtang, 100 bowls of separate gukbap, and 100 pieces of rice cake at restaurants and cafés in Yeouido, where the presidential impeachment rally was held.
IU's agency stated, 'Even if you are not a member of the official fan club 'U-aena,' if you participate in the rally, you can receive food and hot packs on a first-come, first-served basis.'
Meanwhile, President Yoon was arrested on the morning of the 5th by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the police. This marks the first time in constitutional history that a sitting president has been arrested and detained in a correctional facility. It is the arrest that occurred 43 days after the 12·3 martial law incident.
President Yoon is reported to have exercised his right to remain silent throughout the investigation by the CIO. Furthermore, the president's side maintains that 'the investigation by the CIO, which lacks jurisdiction over insurrection crimes, is illegal, and the execution of the arrest warrant is also unlawful.' The CIO stated that President Yoon did not attend the scheduled suspect inquiry at 2 p.m.