Editorial: Celebrity Military Scandals in Korea
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Some natural beauty before the the ugliness of the rant
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Okay, so this article will probably annoy a few people and while that's not my intention, I just can't keep quiet this time. I didn't write a response to the last celebrity-in-the-military scandal and I should have. So I have to say something now because it's just bursting out. I need to put my two cents in.
You might have noticed that I – or anyone on ATK Magazine – rarely talk about celebrity gossip. There are two reasons for that. First, if gossip is your thing, there are lots of places where you can get your fix. But more importantly, it's just not my thing and since I'm the editor-in-chief, I get to decide what we publish and what we don't.
That being said, I am going to touch on the recent Se7en & Sangchu scandal today. But not to attack them (seriously, why do people do that?) but rather because there are a couple of things I feel compelled to add to the online conversation about Korean celebrities acting badly while in the military. So this post really has less to do with Se7en & Sangshu, than the situation itself.
Disclaimer
First, I want to make a disclaimer. I have no idea what happened (and neither do you) so there will be no censure or blame thrown around in this editorial. Remember, it was simply reported on and an investigation has started but we don't know the whole story. Sure, it's distasteful but I refuse to jump on the bandwagon of hate simply because of a story. Yes, if it can be proven that they did something wrong, they should be punished. But it hasn't yet. And this article is about the bigger picture which seems to be lost – at least on the more gossipy websites.
Can it be proven?
This is my first point. When I the scandal first broke online, at least in the English language K-pop websites, it seemed like everyone immediately believed they were guilty. I come from a country (Canada) that believes in innocent until proven guilty and I think this is all the more important when the accusation is by a media outlet. Wait until we know the whole story before judging them please. Because reading about something on Allkpop doesn't make it true. Okay, I know it's on other places but it is still under investigation.