Thread by @boratbitmujigae, Didn't want to address this any further but this is what I [...]

Didn't want to address this any further but this is what I had to wake up to today so here I go..

조용히 넘어갈랬는데.. 오늘 눈뜨자마자 받은 뎀 보고 하도 어이가 없어서 다시 한번 설명해드리고자 타래를 정리 해보았습니다.. 어떤 외국팬분이 저보고 살몬님의 트윗을 알티 했다고 뭐라함

First of all, no one is saying that it is Korean culture to spread private pictures of the boys without their consent. However, we are asking you to consider that our wedding culture might in fact be different from yours. In Korean wedding culture, specifically 하객 문화 ++

(hagaek munhwa: guest culture), the events are huge oftentimes with an unspecified number of guests. Everyone from coworkers, relatives, acquaintances and even friends of a friend can be invited and since the idea is more the merrier some couples even hire guests to attend. ++

Naturally, some k-armys may have even been in attendance at the wedding (of course without prior knowledge of SJ’s attendance). Per his longtime friend’s request SJ attended the event and even took on the position of MC (master of ceremonies) ++

At Korean weddings, as with most weddings, everyone takes pictures and shares them on SNS. Therefore it is of course inevitable that SJ, who not only attended as a guest but as the MC, would have his picture taken and subsequently shared. As he is Korean himself and familiar ++

with the culture and nature of weddings, he definitely would have been aware of that fact when he decided to attend as the MC. In fact, later on it was actually revealed (by several first hand accounts) that he had given permission to the guests to take and upload the ++

pictures. Second, it’s important to keep in mind that nobody knew SJ was attending this event beforehand. Ssaengs were not camping out and nobody was stalking SJ or any of his friends. These pictures were uploaded onto insta by SJ's friends and other guests with permission ++

from SJ himself. Many k-armys naturally came across the pictures on their feed (bc they happened to be following someone who attended the wedding) or some even had an acquaintance or family member send them the pictures. These pictures were brought to twitter where it was then ++

further shared. Now, personally I do not feel comfortable with seeing or sharing any pictures or footage taken of the boys outside official schedules. However, it does not make the people who reposted or retweeted the pictures ssaengs or stalkers. It does not justify creating ++

these block/report lists and expose threads which only incites people to harass and send these individuals massive amounts of hate. The word ssaeng is being thrown around a lot on the i-side but for Koreans it is a very shameful and serious accusation. A ssaeng is someone who ++

obsessively and deliberately stalks and invades an an artist or public figure’s privacy. We absolutely hate ssaengs just as much as the next person and DO NOT condone their behavior at all! Therefore, knowing the gravity of the statement, it is NOT OKAY to accuse someone of ++

being a ssaeng WITHOUT any having any evidence or fully understanding the situation at hand. It would have sufficed to KINDLY ask these individuals to take these pictures down and many did after being informed. However, what ensued was nothing short of rumor mongering and ++

public bullying which went on even after they deleted the pictures. As anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of this can relate, these individuals experienced severe mental distress which forced many of them to close their accounts. Unfortunately this isn't the first ++

time this has happened. We have lost one too many accounts like this and that is just not okay.. Please remember that there is a person behind each account and while it's okay to disagree with someone it is NEVER okay to harass and bully. Finally, please remember that the ++

artist you support is Korean and the culture and language they live and breath is Korean. As i-fans it is important to keep in mind that there is a cultural difference and language barrier which creates the perfect storm for things to be lost in translation and ++

misunderstandings to arise. Anyone who has been in this fandom long enough can attest to that. Therefore it is absolutely imperative to take a moment to consider the validity and credibility of the source when navigating information you come across on here and consider the ++

the cultural context and nuance. Oftentimes we are so inclined to view thing exclusively from our own cultural lens. However when you are consuming art from another culture in a language that is not your own, we must keep an open mind and at least make an effort to ++

respect and understand the culture. Anyways, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. I probably won't respond to anyone because I'm ready to put this issue to rest but please feel free to leave your questions and comments. Thank you!

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