The date of the 21st presidential election has dawned. The entertainment industry is walking on a tightrope of tension more than ever. The shadow of 'ideological verification' that engulfed the entire entertainment industry after the Dec. 3 martial law incident still looms large until the end of the election. Amid the emergence of stars facing backlash for seemingly trivial actions that reveal political colors, it is noteworthy whether this tense situation will be alleviated and a path to unity will unfold after the presidential election.

Since the Dec. 3 martial law incident, the entertainment industry is forced to walk a fine line between political neutrality and freedom of expression. With the public's intense interest in stars, even minor missteps are interpreted as revealing political colors, leading to a situation where small mistakes escalate into significant controversies.

In such an atmosphere, celebrities are exercising extreme caution even with mundane gestures, colors, and even numerical expressions they usually enjoy. This is to avoid misunderstandings of supporting a specific party or getting embroiled in unnecessary controversies during this sensitive period of the presidential election.

In fact, there have recently been cases where stars have unintentionally become embroiled in 'political color controversies'. Aespa member Karina faced allegations of supporting a specific party after posting a casual photo taken in Japan featuring a jumper with the red number '2' printed on it, along with a rose emoticon. As the controversy escalated, Karina deleted the photo, but even politicians mentioned the post, further spreading the fallout.

This kind of unintentional action leading to political color controversies is not unique to Karina. During a live broadcast, NMIXX's Bae unintentionally made a 'V sign' while being playful and quickly retreated, exclaiming, "No, don’t make a V sign," which drew laughter. Zero Base One's Kim Tae-rae also confessed that making the 'V sign' was a mistake, cleverly responding that he would 'neutralize' even the blue color of his phone, illustrating the sensitivity of the election season.

In the past, ATEEZ members gained attention for a video where they were stopped by another member while trying to pose with a 'V' sign during early voting certification photos, and WEi's Yongha sent a red heart emoticon in a fan communication community before quickly amending it to various colored hearts, explaining, "Oh, that could have been a big deal," and "I was being careless."

In this way, idol agencies are issuing 'political color warning orders' to their artists, establishing internal guidelines that call for attention to even minor gestures, specific colors of clothing, and numerical mentions. A simple mistake can escalate into a breach of advertising contracts or serious conflicts within fandoms.

Reactions among fans regarding idols' political expressions are varied. Concerns include, "Idols should focus only on the stage," and "What if the controversy escalates and leads to advertising penalties?" On the other hand, some argue, "I need to know their political stance to determine whether to continue fan activities," and "Voicing one’s beliefs should also be respected. "

Such social polarization and the atmosphere of 'ideological verification' are leading to a vicious cycle of indiscriminate 'hate and condemnation' against certain celebrities. While the public's right to know and freedom of expression are important, there is a growing call to refrain from spreading unverified facts or using extremely personal political tendencies as a pretext to stigmatize and attack someone.

With the date of the 21st presidential election having dawned, one wonders how long the tightrope of the entertainment industry and the shadow of ideological verification will last. It is time to remember that democracy begins with mutual respect and to stop meaningless, wasteful debates and accusations based on respect for one another, beyond political judgments.

[OSEN]