Election protestors flood IU’s Instagram, demanding her support
IU / Captured from her Instagram
A growing protest calling for a redo of last Wednesday’s local elections over ballot shortages at polling stations has taken an unexpected turn, with some protestors demanding that actor and singer IU send coffee to the rally.
The demand appears to stem from IU’s previous decision to provide prepaid food and drinks for demonstrators calling for the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid. The protestors calling for a new election, who are widely seen as standing on the opposite side of the political spectrum, are now demanding that the celebrity do the same for them.
On Saturday, IU’s Instagram post from last September announcing the release of a new album was flooded with comments from protesters.
“We really want to drink coffee here at Jamsil,” one user wrote.
Others joined in, writing, “Please send coffee to citizens robbed of their right to vote,” and “Why are you not sending coffee to conservatives and right-wingers?”
According to an unofficial police estimate, more than 10,000 protesters gathered on the same day near a vote-counting center at SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Songpa District, Seoul, demanding that the election be held again.
The rally was an extension of a protest that began at a polling station in Jamsil-dong on election day. Protestors have since called the movement the “Jamsil Democratic Movement.”
Citizens protesting ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections demand a new election Saturday outside a vote-counting center set up at SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Olympic Park, Songpa District, Seoul. Newsis
The calls for IU to send coffee are a reference to the celebrity’s past support for a political rally. In December 2024, IU prepaid for food and drinks at cafes and restaurants near Yeouido, where protesters were holding rallies calling for the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The comment section soon turned into a heated debate, as calls for the celebrity to support citizens protesting the ballot shortage crisis were met with rebuttals from other online users.
Similar demands also appeared on the social media accounts of other celebrities, including actor Lee Dong-wook, who had publicly expressed support for Yoon’s impeachment.
Lee’s Instagram account was also flooded with comments asking for his stance on what users described as a violation of constitutionally protected voting rights. Others urged the actor to speak out on the matter.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.