Super Junior member faces fan controversy over Charlie Kirk tribute

Choi Si-won, member of the boy band Super Junior, explained the reason behind his social media tribute to the late Charlie Kirk after Super Junior fans demanded that he step down from the band for the other members’ sake.

On September 11, Choi shared an Instagram post reading “Rest In Peace Charlie Kirk” on his Instagram story. He also shared a post from another account that read “Charlie Kirk, Well done, good and faithful servant.”

On the fan platform Bubble on September 12, Choi wrote that he wanted to clarify his intentions, saying, “Kirk was a Christian, a father, and a husband. Regardless of political leanings, losing one’s life to gun violence in front of university students is a tragic incident.”

Choi said he shared the post out of grief but later deleted it as his words were “interpreted differently from what I intended.”

Kirk, founder of the conservative group Turning Point USA and a key supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, was fatally shot while giving a lecture at Utah Valley University on September 10.

Choi’s decision to repost a tribute from a U.S. Christian community on Instagram quickly drew backlash from fans, with some pointing to Kirk’s past remarks that were criticized as racist and misogynistic.

The backlash has grown to the point where an Instagram account demanding Choi’s departure from Super Junior appeared, reflecting the sharp divide among fans, although the account has now been deleted.

Known as a devout Christian, Choi has in the past faced criticism for liking a post that opposed Hong Kong protests and sharing content against same-sex marriage, for which he later apologized. He has never explicitly endorsed a political party.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]