[Sportschosun reporter Kim Sohee] Director Jang Hang-jun spoke out against indiscriminate witch hunts and online group attacks targeting celebrities.
On the 28th, a video titled “A Story About Hating People with a Master … It Won’t End (ft. Jang Hang-jun, Rooftop Moonlight) | I Hate People” was posted on the YouTube channel Wausan TV. In the video, director Jang Hang-jun appeared as a guest and shared his thoughts on the public’s views of celebrities and the culture of collective condemnation.
That day, Jang Hang-jun spoke about his newfound popularity from the film “The King’s Warden” and shared his thoughts on the changes that may lie ahead for him. “I feel like I’ll fall at some point. I’m really curious when that will be, and what it will be because of,” he said.
He added, “There are a lot of predictions, but I can’t even gauge it myself.” He was candid about not knowing how long his current popularity would last. Jang went on to say that celebrities sometimes face criticism that is hard to understand as they attract public attention.
He pointed to the excessive criticism directed at celebrities, saying, “These days, celebrities suddenly get condemned and attacked even over things that make you wonder, ‘Is that really wrong?’”
He explained, “Even when they haven’t done anything wrong, if one person tears into them, they start to look like someone who really has a problem because that person is attacking them. Then even people who don’t know much start thinking, ‘Huh? They seem to have a bad image.’ The hurt that person suffers is like being bullied in the classroom.”
Kim Yun-ju of Rooftop Moonlight also expressed agreement. “It’s the whole country bullying them,” she said, pointing to the problems that collective condemnation of celebrities can cause.
Jang Hang-jun also discussed the psychology behind the public joining in on criticism. “Even though they don’t really know the details, don’t they feel like they should join in anyway? It’s not easy to do that in my everyday life once I leave the classroom and enter society. So it seems they attack celebrities, who are easy targets, to relieve their own stress,” he said.
Jang Hang-jun was especially forceful in criticizing the act of tearing others down. “I think that’s truly cowardly. I don’t know why people waste their lives tearing others down instead of working on self-improvement,” he said.
He delivered a sharp rebuke to the phenomenon of people becoming targets of indiscriminate criticism simply because they are celebrities, and of attacks by some turning into collective public sentiment. Jang Hang-jun shared the view that people should reflect on their own lives and focus on improving themselves rather than readily joining in criticism of others, striking a chord with audiences.
Reporter Kim Sohee | yaqqol@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
