Singer Shin Hae-chul |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
Shin Hae-chul, a K-pop singer famous for his open and sarcastic criticism of government education policies, is drawing condemnation from Internet users for his appearance in a commercial advertising a private cram school.
Shin appeared in a commercial for a private educational institute in several daily newspapers Tuesday and it immediately drew controversy among people.
Famed as a singer and producer, Shin has seen more acclaim for his straightforward, malicious language, earning nicknames of ``Mawang,'' or the devil.
He has insisted that standardized education deprives teenage students of their dreams and condemned the educational policy of the current government on MBC's 100-Minute Debate and other programs.
In reaction to the fresh criticism against his appearance in an ad for a ``hagwon,'' Shin wrote on his mini homepage, saying, ``Commercials are a way of expressing oneself as an artist. My appearance in the advertisement was the prolongation of my thoughts and it does not clash with my philosophy in education.''
However, netizens said Shin sold out his beliefs for money and his words do not correspond with his actions.
meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr
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