Super Junior's Choi Siwon speaks out on political bias controversy: 'Don't judge a person by their camp'

Choi Siwon, a member of K-pop group Super Junior, has spoken out over a recent controversy surrounding his perceived political leanings.

Choi posted a statement on his social media Monday, saying he was "sincerely grateful to those who have been concerned about and thinking of me." He said he believed it was "not desirable to conclude that someone is on the side of a particular figure or political camp based solely on personal preferences or some opinions."

He added that "if a view is expressed directly under one's own name, the content and intent are worth examining calmly," and said that "even when faced with opinions different from one's own, I believe we need the composure to first try to understand the other person's thoughts and background rather than jumping to conclusions."

"What is wrong must be clearly criticized, and what is right must be acknowledged. Emotions must not cloud judgment," he said. "Rather than judging a person simply by their camp, looking at each choice and action as it is — that is fair assessment."

He went on to say, "What is needed now is neither the silence that turns away from responsibility, nor the division that turns us against each other," adding that "wrongs must be corrected, but recovery — so that we can move forward together — must come first."

The controversy began after Choi publicly shared on social media that he had met with anchor Kim Jin last month, then on Sunday posted a recommendation for Kim's humanities book, saying he had enjoyed reading it.

Some fans interpreted the posts as a display of political leanings, with comments including "Han Dong-hoon is unacceptable" and "Don't get into politics." Actor Han Jeong-su also weighed in, leaving a comment that read, "Even Choi Siwon expressing his leanings … this is dangerous."

Of late, Choi has consistently voiced opinions on political and social issues. Last month, he shared a video of a protest at the Jamsil vote-counting center, writing that "raising trust in elections is something that benefits the entirety of South Korean democracy, regardless of ruling or opposition party."

In February, after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison at his first trial, Choi posted the hanja phrase "불가사의" — meaning "incomprehensible" — before deleting it and replacing it with another classical Chinese phrase, "불의필망 토붕와해," which conveys the idea that injustice inevitably collapses.

As personal attacks and false claims continued to pile up in his comments, Choi launched legal action against malicious commenters both in South Korea and abroad. On July 7, he signaled his intent to fight back, writing, "Silence ends here. I will no longer stand by in the face of malice."