Funeral Wreaths

Synonyms:
See also:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

In Korean culture, mourners often send large, elaborate wreaths of flowers to commemorate the passing of a loved one. While these are commonplace in society, the funeral wreaths (also called condolence wreaths) became a topic of global controversy in the k-pop fandom in Autumn of 2024. In October, fans began to purchase and send funeral wreaths with insulting messages to Korean entertainment companies. These were sent in order to call for the dismissal of living artists.

Context

An online listing for funeral wreaths similar to the ones delivered to SM Entertainment and HYBE in October of 2024 shows that these three-tiered displays are made of chrysanthemums and star lillies along with other seasonal flowers and greenery fillers. In accordance with Korean customs, the wreaths include a black and white ribbon with a message. A company that allows people abroad to send flowers, such as funeral wreaths, to Korea lists the price for one as $159 (USD) as of October 2024.

K-pop fans have purchased such floral displays before, though these were used to commemorate idols who had passed away. A review of the aforementioned company (Flowers to Korea) left by an Indonesian fan stated that they sent a wreath in honor of the late ASTRO member Moonbin in April of 2023.

Sending these flowers to a living individual is considered to be a death threat and is viewed negatively by most Koreans.

Events

Riize

The Seunghan Controversy

SM Entertainment's boy group RIIZE debuted on 4 September 2023 containing 7 members, one of whom is Hong Seunghan (known mononymously as Seunghan as his stage name). However, controversy surrounding Seunghan erupted before the group's debut with the release of controversial images. On 28 August 2023, a Twitter user uploaded a photo of Seunghan kissing a girl in bed. The notion that Seunghan took a photo with a girlfriend pre-debut angered fans, which resulted in Seunghan apologizing days later. More controversy would follow on 18 November 2023 after a video of Seunghan smoking was released, prompting further fan anger online. Although the singer was legally old enough to smoke, the activity still enraged some of the group's fandom-- known as BRIIZE) who sent protest trucks demanding action. On 22 November 2023, Seunghan went on indefinite hiatus.

During the controversy, some fans speculated that someone was deliberately trying to sabotage Seunghan's career. In late October 2024, these allegations arose again after leaked documents from HYBE, a competitor of SM Entertainment, detailed the company allegedly sabotaging other groups. This lead to speculation that RIIZE may have been sabotaged by HYBE, though this is all alleged.

Nearly a year passed before any further notice was given to fans. On 11 October 2024, SM Entertainment suddenly announced that Seunghan would be returning to RIIZE. The company announced that he would be gradually reintroduced into activities starting in November. The announcement to reintroduce Seunghan angered many fans, the majority of whom were Korean (foreign fans were much more likely to support Seunghan).

Reddit user helios0l described the rationale behind the backlash: "Many Korean fans see this [Seunghan's actions] as typical "hannam" behavior (derogatory word used to describe Korean men; entitled, misogynistic macho men, similar to alpha men in the west) and therefore don't want him in the group."

Response

On 13 October 2024, it was announced that Seunghan had decided to leaving the group permanently. This further angered many fans who promptly started boycotts against RIIZE (if not all of SM Entertainment) to protest unfair treatment of someone for living normal life.

Media Coverage

The story quickly grew large enough to break containment from the realm of k-pop fandom.

As a result, Western news outlets also began to take notice. American news outlet NBC News published an article (A K-pop star was photographed kissing a woman. Fans decided he should be fired for it.) by Larissa Gao on October 22nd. The article was criticized by fans for being poorly researched. This resulted in erroneous information about Seunghan's case as well as a claim from a purported "k-pop expert" that international fans were not as invested (personally or financially) in their idols.

BTS

The flower wreaths sent to SM Entertainment appeared to inspire others, resulting in a similar scene days later at HYBE.

Suga's DUI

In early August 2024, it was reported that BTS Member Min Yoongi, known by the stage name SUGA, was under investigation for a purported DUI while driving an electric scooter. An officer had discovered Min after he fell from the scooter near his apartment building in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, Seoul. Min was reported to have a blood alcohol level of 0.227%, which is over the legal limit of 0.08%. On August 25th, Min admitted to the charges and released an apology.

The Korean public and entertainment industry are known to take DUIs very seriously, and such a conviction has proven devastating to careers in the past. As a result, Min faced substantial scrutiny from Korean media as well as calls to resign from the group. International ARMY, however, rallied in support of their idol. Under the name "The Global ARMY Union" fans from all over the world released a statement and a petition in support of Min and his ability to remain a member of BTS.

Ultimately, Min was fined 15 million Korean won (equivalent to 11,500 USD) in September.

Petition

In response to the incidents regarding Riize and BTS, a fan known as Hamza GABTNI started a change.org petition on October 22, 2024 titled "Protect Our Artists In South Korea: Ban Sending Condolence Wreaths to Living Artists." The petition, which is available in both English and Korean states:

These actions are not only shocking, but they also represent a form of psychological violence and a violation of human dignity. Funeral wreaths, used to threaten and humiliate artists, create a toxic environment that severely affects their mental health. No individual, whether public or not, should have to endure such harassment.

These acts must be considered violations of human rights. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, every person has the right to dignity and safety. This harassment contradicts these fundamental principles and must be condemned.

Under Article 283 of the Korean Penal Code, threats and intimidation are punishable by up to three years of imprisonment or a fine of up to five million won.

We urge the South Korean government to take immediate action to ban the sending of condolence wreaths to living individuals, to recognize these acts as forms of psychological harassment, and to protect artists and citizens from such abuses.

Hamza GABTNI, 22 October 2024  https://www.change.org/p/protect-our-artists-in-south-korea-ban-sending-condolence-wreaths-to-living-artists

By the afternoon of 24 October 2024, the petition had amassed over 16,000 signatures.