Some netizens pushed back against the accusations.
Koreaboo
44 minutes ago
A pre-debut photo of Hearts2Hearts star Ian has sparked heated debate among Korean netizens.
| iMBC
The picture of Ian and a friend has gone viral on Pann after the caption “two disabled people” sparked accusations of disability discrimination.
| Pann
The post quickly gained traction, with some netizens calling it a disparaging comment toward disabled people.
Hearts2Hearts Ian Controversy Over Disparaging Comments About Disabled People
— Viral post on Pann
However, others pushed back, clarifying that the photo was taken and allegedly captioned by Ian’s friend, not Ian herself.
| Pann
- “That wasn’t posted by Ian. It was uploaded by the friend next to her. And here we go again, another manufactured controversy targeting a young, pretty girl ^^.”
- “Ian seems to be the 5th-generation rage-bait pick for the anti-fan ajummas.”
- “The friend took the photo, the friend had the photo, the friend put stickers on it, and the friend wrote ‘two disabled people‘ lol. Bottom line: it was written by a friend, but they’re pinning it on the female idol and stirring things up. Fans should just screenshot the profile and report them lol. The intent to incite is pretty transparent.”
- “She’ll end up like Garam soon lol.”
- “It wasn’t even said to someone else. It was said about themselves. People are holding these little kids to the same moral standards as monks. And apparently it was the friend who said it anyway. Just how little dirt do they have on her that they’re dragging in what her friend did?”
As of now, neither Ian nor SM Entertainment have responded to the allegations.