Singer's dress code ignites speculation
On the cover of Na Hoon-a's new album, “A Tale of Nine Stories,” the singer in black clothes holds a black umbrella on rocks near an unspecified lagoon. Some conservative YouTubers claim that dressing in black reminds them of the “Black Protests” during which activists claim the April 15 National Assembly elections were fraudulent. Culture critics deny the allegation and say Na is not affiliated with any political party.
Na Hoon-a craze continues, this time attention on his political orientation
By Kang Hyun-kyung
The Na Hoon-a craze, which enthralled the nation during the Chuseok holidays, shows no sign of abating.
Talk about the singer has not waned in the days since the holiday as speculation has mushroomed about the trot singer's motives behind his rare open criticisms of KBS and partisan politics.
His new songs performed during the show have gone viral and the way he presented his music has sparked people's imagination about his political orientation.
Among others, “Brother 'Tes!” was the most popular among nine songs on his new album, “A Tale of Nine Stories.”
Its music video uploaded by Danal Entertainment on its channel had amassed 3.1 million views as of Wednesday afternoon. Over 4,000 fans have left comments on the channel. One of his fans identified by the internet ID King Lopp wrote that Na is “a genuine artist” and so great that describing him simply as a singer doesn't explain what he is really about. Some others wrote that they were deeply touched by the singer and he deserves his nickname; the Emperor of Trot.
Most of Na's fans are middle-aged or older people. But “Brother 'Tes!” has captivated many young music fans, too. The 'Tes in the title is purportedly an abbreviation referring to the Greek philosopher Socrates. In the lyrics, Na observes life is full of suffering, pain and nonsense, as he asks the philosopher to offer his wisdom on what purpose the ordeals we go through serve.
The singer's way of calling on the ancient Greek philosopher amused the younger generation.
Some conservative YouTubers, however, claimed the singer's new song is much more than his observation about the toughness of life. Based on the analysis of the music video of “Brother 'Tes!,” journalist Moon Gab-sik said the singer might have been trying to deliver a certain political message.
uploaded Tuesday on his YouTube channel Moon Gab-sik's Real News, he shared an analysis of the music video images in “Brother 'Tes!” which was conducted by one of the subscribers to his channel.
Moon said he was “impressed” by the analytical piece and that's why he decided to share it with other viewers.
Regarding the scene showing the rear profile of Na wearing a red jacket and blue jeans, Moon said the red and blue colors of Na's attire could symbolize the national flag of Korea or could be interpreted as the red jacket meaning communism and the blue jeans meaning freedom or free democracy. “It's convincing, isn't it?” he said.
About the scene featuring the rear profile of an unknown man wearing a yellow raincoat walking an unpaved road, the YouTuber claimed that yellow is the color of Korean liberals and the current ruling camp and the man is ushering the nation onto an untraveled road full of uncertainty.
The cover image of Na's new album also has sparked speculations among conservative YouTubers about the singer's intention. In the artwork, the singer wearing a long black jacket and pants holds a black umbrella on a pile of broken rocks by a body of water.
Some YouTubers claim that Na's dress code reminds them of some right-wing activists who fought against the Moon Jae-in government alleging that the
April 15 National Assembly elections were rigged and fraudulent.
The campaign is led by the former lawmaker Min Kyung-wook. Over 100 lawsuits were filed against the election results; and a vote recount is expected to take place in several electoral districts in the weeks ahead after the Supreme Court ordered lawyers filing the cases to prepare for trial.
The dress code of the protester was black.
These Korean protestors refer to themselves as “black warriors,” since they wear black clothes and hold black umbrellas during the protests which have continued since May.
Na Hoon-a's comments critical of KBS and partisan politics
during his Chuseok concert became the source of such politically motivated interpretations of the singer's new album.
Na Hoon-a / Korea Times file
Culture critics, however, disagree.
“Mr. Na is a free-spirited musician,” said pop music critic Kim Hern-sik. “As far as I know, there are no political factions or forces he's affiliated with. If he said something about politics, I think it is his candid opinion as an artist and it has nothing to do with any political influence or affiliation.”
Regarding Na's criticism of KBS during the show, Kim went on to say that the singer is not the first person to speak critically about KBS.
“That's what many commentators have said on numerous occasions. It's true that there are few singers who openly criticize KBS or partisan politics. I think Mr. Na became an open critic of KBS (for allegedly unbalanced political reports) and the ruling camp, maybe because he is a concert-based singer,” he said.
“Most singers rely on TV shows for income, so they do care about TV appearances. Thus, for them, criticizing politicians or KBS is unthinkable because if they do, they'd suffer the consequences. But Na is different. He is an established singer enjoying huge fandom. He doesn't need to worry about the fallout of his political comments.”
Another culture critic Ha Jae-geun also denied the speculations that Na's music and the way he presented it has a certain political message.
According to him, “Brother 'Tes!” is a song that Na improvised when he paid a tribute to his late father at his tomb years ago. “It was a time when he was inactive as a singer and went through one of the toughest times in his life. It's a song about missing his father,” he said on his YouTube channel.
Regarding the new album, Na’s agency Yearah didn’t mention any political implications.
“The nine songs are heart-warming stories and the fun we encounter in our lives... People are weary of the COVID-19 pandemic and we hope that they can find hope with the songs,” Yoon Jung-min, CEO of the agency, said Aug. 19 while speaking about the release of the forthcoming album.