82MAJOR’s Hwang Sung Bin issues apology over liking anti-liberal political song

Sir, a second idol political scandal has hit K-pop … today.

I dunno what’s in the water recently with regards to Korean idols and politics, but 82MAJOR member Hwang Sung Bin issued an apology for liking a song called “Republic Of Korea Is Dead” on his past SoundCloud account, as the song rips into the Moon Jae In government and the democratic party at large, especially seeming to put COVID-19 at their feet.

The lyrics in question:

“The country I was born and raised in — South Korea.
A population of 50 million infected by a virus.
We seem lost, unsure of who to blame — but you know, right? The stupid government.
They say history repeats itself, but we flare up easily and never take responsibility.
What about you? Have you ever thought about whether they ever keep the promises they make?
At some point, character became just another spec.
Money and numbers go one way, people’s hearts the other.
He killed the country, but my mom is still a huge fan of him.
I’m in a coma, trying to become rich.
I fell for it when I was young — my eyes fooled me.
The photoshopped image of the president looked so kind.
By the time I started to understand why, I was 26.
I can never understand the hypocrisy of leftists who love to mock.
While stores were closing with a cough,
armchair judges in their rooms blamed Daegu — ridiculous.
The same hands that held candles now turn against their own people,
and he fights endlessly with his past self from just a few years ago.
Sewol Ferry was tragic, yes,
but the bodies dragged to the North are burned and forgotten —
even if they’re called from underwater,
a single headline saying ‘defection to the North’ ends it all.
Is this even a country? Feels like one we’ve never experienced before.
Are you an idiot too?
If you’re going to defend this bastard, stay away from me.”

Considering the aforementioned things and stuff like referencing Daegu (conservative base), there’s really no ambiguity here about the ideology he was agreeing with.

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After backlash, he apologized.

“Hello, this is Hwang Sung Bin of 82MAJOR. First of all, I sincerely apologize for causing discomfort and disappointment to many people regarding my past personal account.”
“Back when I was just starting to get into music as a student, I came across a song by an artist and, out of simple curiosity, I liked their posts whenever new music was uploaded. However, it was clearly my shortcoming that I acted without fully understanding the message and meaning contained in that music. Looking back, it was extremely careless of me.”
“Also, during a concert, I performed a rap that was intended to showcase a unique side of a fellow member. However, I failed to consider the weight of the words used, and in doing so, I made people uncomfortable.”
“To the fans who have supported me and to everyone who cares about our team, I offer my sincerest apologies for the disappointment I have caused. As a singer, I feel deeply ashamed, and I now realize how much responsibility comes with every word and action.” 
“I will take this incident as a serious lesson, reflect deeply, and strive to always act and speak with caution. Once again, I sincerely bow my head and apologize to everyone who was hurt by this. I am truly sorry.”

Out of all the controversies of late that are trying to dogwhistle ideology, this is just rather blatant, and I’m not really sure what there is to apologize for. It’s not a careless thing or a lack of understanding, if you’re going to disavow past political stances then you have to make that clear with something this apparent. Chalk another one up for the right-wingers, though I doubt this will cause as big of a stir due to his level of fame.