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Hell hath no fury like a K-pop fan scorned, and SHINee's fandom is fuming!
On June 21, in her article titled How BTS Became One of the Most Popular Bands in History, New Yorker writer E. Tammy Kim wrote:
“Before I knew BTS’ music, I knew of the members as envoys of well-being. In 2017—the same year that Kim Jonghyun, a singer in the K-pop group SHINee, died by suicide—BTS launched a campaign with unicef to combat violence against children and teens.”
The unnecessary and disrespectful mention of the late vocalist enraged SHAWOLs as fans took to social media to express their hurt and disappointment.
"REMOVE HIS NAME": SHINee’s fandom upset by careless mention of Jonghyun
SHAWOLs took to Twitter and said that the writer was discourteous to Jonghyun and did not need to bring up his death when speaking about BTS' involvement with UNICEF the same year he died.
Another section of fans are also enraged at the fact that Jonghyun’s name has been thrown in to sensationalise the article. Some also feel that the writer isn’t only being impertinent towards Jonghyun but also belittling mental health and related disorders.
A few SHAWOLs rallied that it was not only disrespectful but also inhumane to write about an artist who isn’t present to defend himself.
However, this isn’t the first time a foreign writer and journalist has mentioned Jonghyun’s name in the same vein as BTS.
In 2017, NBC Chicago issued a public apology after they confused Jonghyun with BTS leader RM in an obituary post for the late singer.
More about SHINee’s talented singer-songwriter Jonghyun
Kim Jong-hyun, also known by his stage name Jonghyun was a singer-songwriter, record producer, author, radio host and the lead vocalist of SM Entertainment’s boy group SHINee.
During his time in the group, the quintet released twelve studio albums in both Korean and Japanese.
In January 2015, Jonghyun made his solo debut with the release of his first EP Base. He then released his debut solo album, She Is, in May 2016, followed by his second compilation album, Story Op.2 in April 2017.
Jonghyun passed away from suicide due to carbon monoxide poisoning, in December 2017. In his suicide note, he spoke about his struggles with depression, failing mental health and the pressures of being in the public eye.
His final album, Poet I Artist, was released in January 2018. His family announced that all the profits from the album will go to the Shiny Foundation, a charity started by the the late singer’s family to support young and talented artists.
