Jin, a member of K-pop band BTS / AP-Yonhap
BTS member Jin and several other Korean celebrities headed to polling stations on Wednesday to cast their votes in the country’s local elections and parliamentary by-elections, carefully avoiding clothing colors that could be interpreted as political statements.
The elections, held Wednesday, renewed a familiar phenomenon in Korea’s entertainment industry: celebrities opting for neutral-colored outfits to steer clear of accusations that they are signaling support for a particular political party.
Jin, who recently returned to Korea after performing in Las Vegas on Sunday, was seen voting at a polling station in Seoul’s Hannam-dong neighborhood. The BTS star wore a gray top and pants along with a black cap. After casting his ballot, he briefly waved to waiting reporters before leaving.
Jin Tae-hyun, left, and Park Si-eun / Captured from Jin’s social media
Other celebrities shared proof-of-voting photos on social media.
Actor Jin Tae-hyun and his wife, actress Park Si-eun, posted a selfie taken outside a polling station on Instagram. The couple wore black and white athletic outfits, respectively.
K-pop girl group Odd Youth also uploaded a commemorative photo to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, the second day of early voting. Four Korean members of the group posed together after voting, while the group’s Japanese member did not participate because she is not eligible to vote in Korean elections.
What drew attention was that all of them appeared in neutral colors such as gray, black or white.
In Korea, where political parties are strongly associated with specific colors, celebrities often face scrutiny during election seasons. Wearing clothing that resembles a party’s signature color or making hand gestures that appear to reference a candidate’s ballot number can quickly spark online debate over alleged political leanings.
Odd Youth / Captured from the group’s social media
The issue resurfaced during this year’s elections.
Rapper Lee Young-ji faced criticism after posting photos of herself on social media during the early voting period while wearing red clothing and sporting red-dyed hair. Red is widely associated with the conservative People Power Party.
The following day, Lee dyed her hair black and apologized, saying her actions had been careless while denying any political intent.
Another incident involved Baek Ji-heon of K-pop girl group Fromis_9. During a livestream on Friday, the first day of early voting, she appeared wearing blue clothing — a color commonly associated with the liberal Democratic Party of Korea.
After viewers pointed out that the country was in an election period, Baek changed into darker clothing during the broadcast, creating a minor online stir.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.