I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Singer uploads social media post about employee having heart attack after vaccination
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Kang Won-rae / Korea Times file
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Kang Won-rae, a member of the dance music duo Clon, uploaded a social media post about his employee, who developed a serious medical condition after getting fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
His post has drawn attention partly because it came several months after he criticized the government for its ill-prepared post-pandemic responses, which he claimed made self-employed people like him scapegoats for providing the environment for infections to occur.
Kang, who owns a bar in Itaewon that has been temporarily closed due to the pandemic, wrote that his unnamed employee has been fighting for his life in an intensive care unit at a hospital after having a cardiac arrest some time after he was fully vaccinated.
“He didn't feel well after getting the shots and had to go repeatedly to the hospital… then he had a heart attack and now he is in the intensive care unit,” he wrote. “His wife cannot go to see him (because of COVID-19-related restrictions) and this makes her even more anxious about him.”
Kang said that he finds it painful to think about the possible worst-case scenario for his employee, adding that he shared this story because he wanted those who view the post to help him and pray for him.
His social media post came several months after he voiced the criticism of the Moon Jae-in government for its methods of handling the pandemic.
Kang wrote that K-pop is the world's best, but it seems that “K-quarantine” appears to be the world's worst. He went on to say that Korea has been able to flatten the curve not because of the government itself, but because of the people who faithfully followed the government's directives. He made these remarks while commenting on the dire financial circumstances faced by self-employed people like himself following the pandemic and its control measures.
His critical remarks drew a strong online backlash from Moon supporters, with many commenting about Kang's social media post with scathing remarks.