Shinhwa's Kim Dong Wan Apologizes for Posting Photo of Fan Online, Asks Netizens to Stop Criticizing Her

Shinhwa’s Kim Dong Wan has apologized for posting a photo of a civilian woman online, after he noticed the woman being inconsiderate and rude to others while having come to the airport to see him. 

The Shinhwa member recently posted on his Facebook, “Today at the airport, you stepped on the feet of about 10 different people, knocked over people’s luggage, and bumped into them. This is because you didn’t care to look around and only had your eye in the viewfinder.”

He continues, “Others will assume that Shinhwa fans are guilty of doing those things. Don’t do things that’ll reflect badly on Shinhwa fans. You made a lot of people upset today,” and added the photo of the civilian woman. 

While a large portion of the woman’s face was blocked by the camera, she has ended up on the receiving end of a wave of criticism from netizens. 

Because of the strong response, Kim Dong Wan posted an additional statement on Facebook on May 18, at length apologizing for his previous post. “I heard that that person is receiving a lot of personal attacks and hate on Weibo. Please stop. It is not what I intended. It was my mistake, impulsively posting the photo,” says Kim Dong Wan. He goes on to tell a little bit about his own experiences.

“I like to take photos, too. At first, I used to take photos without thinking about anyone else. I heard of Korean photographers getting sued by others while abroad, so after that I give out a business card with my e-mail [when taking photos]. And I did the same in Korea, as well. Even people who don’t model for a living have rights.”

Explaining why he got angry, he says, “It’s hard to tell people what to do when the photos they take aren’t used for commercial purposes. But I’d like it if everyone would mind their manners. […] Because of that person, who still doesn’t have proper manners, I wasn’t able to greet many fans who had come out to see me. That’s what made me the most upset.”

Closing, Kim Dong Wan says, “If you don’t know what to do, take a look around at what rules others are following. The reason why people love things like soccer or baseball is because there are rules. Please don’t ruin the rules of the age old games that we all love.”

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