April 10, 2024 — South Koreans headed to their local polling sites to choose the 300 members of the country's parliament of the National Assembly. During this election time, K-pop idols shy away from wearing bright colors and making certain hand gestures. Why? Read on to find out!
Already held to nearly impossible standards, K-pop idols have been weary of what they wear and making certain hand gestures ahead of the April 10th parliamentary elections sweeping the country. Why? To remain politically neutral and not cause controversy (even on accident) idols have to tread carefully when wearing bright colors due to colors associated with certain political parties. For example, President Yoon's People Power Party uses red and the Democratic Party wears blue.
Idols also have to be careful when making hand gestures in public so they do not mistakenly promote the number of a specific candidate on the ballot. (Korean elections have a number associated with each candidate to make it easier for citizens to vote.) The gestures include thumbs up or the peace sign in front of polling sites.
With already K-pop idols and celebrities under scrutiny these days for their actions on social media, they have to be extremely careful when out in public during election season due to more eyes (from the general public) as they head to the voting sites. Let's take a look at some idols while they vote!
What are your thoughts about how lightly K-pop idols must tread during election season on top of already microscopic criticism from fans and netizens on a daily basis? Comment below!