The father of the late Kim Ha-nul, who suffered a tragic incident at school due to a teacher, publicly requested condolences from Jang Won-young of the idol group IVE. Online communities debated whether the father's actions were appropriate and whether Jang Won-young should actually pay her respects.
On the morning of the 12th, at a press meeting in the funeral hall of Daejeon Konyang University Hospital, Ha-nul's father stated, 'Ha-nul's dream was Jang Won-young herself,' and added, 'If the representatives from IVE see this news, I would appreciate it if Jang Won-young could offer a warm greeting on Ha-nul's way.'
Earlier, on the 11th, Ha-nul's father revealed in a media interview that his daughter had been a fan of IVE's Jang Won-young. In response, IVE expressed their condolences with a wreath.
As news of Ha-nul's father's interview was reported, netizens flooded to Jang Won-young's social media (SNS), commenting, 'Please make sure to attend the funeral of the young angel who was brutally victimized,' 'There may be a comeback schedule, but is there any way it could work out?' and 'The father mentioned that he would appreciate a warm greeting on Ha-nul's path. Please kindly ask for this.'
On the other hand, some other netizens reacted by saying, 'I understand the desire to fulfill your daughter's wish, but won't such public interviews put Jang Won-young in an awkward position?' 'If an idol attends a funeral, the idol, not the victim, receives the attention,' 'Why is there pressure for condolences?' and 'Sending a wreath should be sufficient.'
Before requesting condolences from Jang Won-young, Ha-nul's father also publicly urged both ruling and opposition party leaders to pay attention to the incident to prevent its recurrence.