Korean Politician Under Fire After His Explicit Fanfiction About IU Resurfaces
Jang Ye Chan is a 34-year-old member of the People Power Party (PPP), the conservative political party that currently controls the presidency in South Korea. He is a candidate for the head of the youth division of the party.
Jang’s campaign seems to have taken a hit after an old fanfiction written by him resurfaced on February 26, Sunday. The fanfic allegedly depicts singer IU in an inappropriate manner.
In 2015, Jang started writing a web novel titled Gangnam Huata, which was published periodically for the next year. The story was about an oriental medicinal doctor who cures patients by having sexual intercourse with them. One of the female characters in the novel is named Lee Ji Eun, which is the real name of IU. This Lee Ji Eun in the novel is also a singer, and she suffers from vocal cord nodules, which makes her unable to hit high notes.
It’s no secret that the entire country dotes on IU, her nickname “Nation’s Little Sister” bearing evidence of the fact. So, it was obvious that her fans would find this depiction of the singer objectionable. Additionally, some people noted that the novel potentially references IU’s “Good Day” era, when she was a minor. This fact makes the sexual depiction of the singer an even worse issue. Apparently, Jang also used other popular female celebrities as characters in his novel, including Kim Hye Soo, Cho Yeo Jeong, and Krystal.
Apart from IU fans, supporters of another PPP member, Lee Ki In, who is running for the same candidacy as Jang, have also criticized Jang for his inappropriate depiction of the singer in his novel. But Jang is not bothered by the criticism, as he dismissed all of them, claiming it was all just a “political maneuver” by the left-wing media and proudly claimed his past work.
If you have issues with [the contents in] a fantasy novel, will anyone be able to make any movie, drama, webtoon and novels?…I am proud of my history as a web novel and webtoon writer, and I will break new ground against the prejudices of politicians against the arts and culture.
—Jang Ye Chan
IU
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