Former "Ulzzang" and beauty influencer Hong Young Gi is sparking a debate among netizens over her social media posts during the martial law declaration.
At midnight on December 4, Hong Young Gi posted a sponsored post on her Instagram story, writing, "My body is in more of an emergency," along with a photo of a diet supplement she was promoting through group purchasing. The post was made when many people were confused due to the declaration of martial law.
The post spread quickly across online communities but was deleted approximately two hours later.
Hong Young Gi also posted a photo of herself aboard an airplane with the caption, "Due to martial law, I’ll provide updates on the fan meeting schedule tomorrow."
After martial law was lifted, she uploaded another story featuring a selfie and the message, "With martial law lifted, the fan meeting schedule will proceed as planned."
Some netizens criticized her for using the phrase "My body is in more of an emergency," expressing their discomfort. Comments included, "She crossed the line," "What’s next? 'My body is at war' if there’s a war?" and "Did she really need to post that?"
Conversely, others defended her, arguing, "Instagram stories are a form of free expression," and "Martial law and group purchasing are separate issues; this could be about her livelihood."
Hong Young Gi first gained public recognition through the reality TV show 'Ulzzang Generation' and has since been active as an influencer, YouTuber, and CEO. However, she has faced various controversies over her social media product promotions in the past.
In October last year, she faced backlash from consumers over missing deliveries of soy sauce she was selling. Earlier this year, she was accused of using old photos from two years ago to promote the effects of a high-frequency massager.
Meanwhile, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law at 10:25 PM on the 3rd through an emergency public address. The National Assembly convened a plenary session on the 4th and passed a resolution to lift martial law with unanimous consent from all 190 members in attendance. President Yoon officially announced the lifting of martial law in a live address at 4:27 AM.
Korean netizens criticized:
"Emergency indeed. Her brain is in a state of emergency."
"An immature influencer acted thoughtlessly... that's why we need to focus on self-reflection and read books."
"She just proved that she's empty in the head. Using that kind of language during a state of emergency in the country. I'm sure she was proud of herself for writing something witty."
"She was always known to be empty-headed a long time ago too. I'm surprised people are going to meet her for her fan meeting event."
"She doesn't need to let people know she's empty-headed."
"Clueless and thoughtless influencers! Martial law was declared, yet they were busy posting pictures of themselves. Pathetic."
"Very ignorant and uneducated."
"She proved herself to be dumb. lol. She probably posted that thinking she was being witty."
"People like her love money even if the country is in a state of emergency."
"She's not even that pretty. I don't know why people are her fans."
"This is when uneducated people stand out... You should blame ignorance."
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