As South Korea holds an early presidential election on June 3 due to former President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment, stars are pouring out their voting encouragement and certification photos. Notably, those in blue outfits appear confident, while those in red seem eager to apologize.
Hong Jin Kyung posted photos taken at a clothing brand store in Stockholm, Sweden, on her personal social media on the 2nd. Among these, a photo of her wearing a deep red knit raised questions about whether she was showing support for a particular candidate in this election.
In response, Hong Jin Kyung deleted the photo and posted, "At this sensitive time, I can't believe I made such a foolish mistake... I'm sincerely at a loss. It seems that after being away from Korea for so long, I lost my sense of tension. Regardless of the reason, I was at fault. I have no words to say, and it is clear that I have made a mistake."
Aespa's Karina became a 'goddess' among the supporters of the People Power Party due to a photo she posted and then deleted on social media. The issue was a casual photo taken in Japan on the 27th of last month, in which she wore a jumper with the red number '2' printed on it, which the supporters interpreted as her revealing her political stance.
Nevertheless, as the controversy escalated, Karina conveyed to her fans, "I had no such intention at all," and added, "I will be more careful and mindful in the future. I'm sorry again for causing concern."
Her agency, SM Entertainment, emphasized, "Karina simply posted something routine on social media, and she had no other intention or purpose. After realizing there was potential for misunderstanding, she promptly deleted the post. We hope that the artist's intentions are not distorted or consumed for specific purposes in the future."
On the other hand, some celebrities boldly represented their political affiliations with blue clothing. Lee Seung-hwan wore a blue jacket and cap while holding a paper that said 'voting completed' in a certification photo he posted. Along with his blue outfit, he drew attention with a message saying, "My heart races at the thought of electing capable workers who will cultivate peace and revive the economy," adding a text filled with 'work'.
Singer Lee Eun-mi has previously publicly supported Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate for the 21st election, along with actors Lee Gi-young and Lee Won-jong. Reflecting this, he caught attention in the voting certification photo he posted on the 3rd, wearing blue sunglasses and other items symbolizing Lee Jae-myung's colors.
In addition, Kim Ui-sung completed his early voting certification while wearing a blue hoodie and blue cap. He conveyed to fans, "Elections are a festival, but this time it somehow feels like a war. I took aim and fired with a single bullet."
Meanwhile, according to the National Election Commission, as of 3 p.m. on the 3rd, the voter turnout for the 21st presidential election was temporarily counted at 68.7%. Out of a total of 44,391,871 voters, 30,511,035 completed their votes. This is 0.6 percentage points higher than the turnout at the same time during the 20th presidential election in 2022 (68.1%) and 5.0 percentage points higher than the turnout at the same time during the 19th presidential election in 2017 (63.7%).
[Photo] SNS
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