Singer Harim criticizes use of funeral wreaths as political weapons: 'Flowers aren't for hitting people'

Singer Harim has spoken out against the practice of using funeral wreaths as tools of political attack, saying "flowers are not for hitting people."

On Monday, Harim posted a message on Instagram titled "The nasty things people do with flowers." He said a "bizarre culture of using funeral wreaths as political weapons" had taken hold, calling it "a malicious act intended to evoke death and ruin the mood of whoever receives them."

Harim recalled passing a scene where funeral wreaths and supportive flower arrangements stood side by side. "I remember thinking, 'The flower shop must be making a killing,' and 'Who's going to clean up all that trash?'" he wrote.

He went on to say that while florists might see a brief bump in sales from the trend, the wreaths lining the streets carried none of the joy or vitality that flowers are meant to convey. "It is merely a 'waste of flowers' born of a nasty habit," he said.

He added that humans have long offered flowers to comfort grief too deep for words, or to confess love they could not otherwise express. "In the past, there were those who placed flowers in the barrels of guns to speak of peace," he wrote.

Harim expressed particular concern over the flower arrangements that had appeared in front of Paejae High School in recent days. "Who sends funeral wreaths to the entrance of a school where children study? The same goes for supportive wreaths sent to ride the wave of a political issue," he wrote. He questioned how the word "funeral" — once reserved for solemnly mourning the dead — had "degraded into a word used to mock the living."

Harim closed by saying that streets filled with artificial flowers are "a sad testament to how emotionally parched our society has become." "Flowers weaponized to harm others are no longer flowers," he wrote. "Before we grow numb to this culture of hatred, I hope we can recover the minimum dignity needed to keep beautiful things beautiful."