Shinhwa's Kim Dong-wan / Xportsnews
Kim Dong-wan, a member of veteran K-pop group Shinhwa and an actor, is facing controversy after screenshots of what appeared to be his Threads post arguing for the legalization of prostitution spread across Korean online communities.
The post itself is no longer publicly viewable because his Threads account has since been closed, but the captured images — along with fragments circulating through portal search results and reposts — fueled a fast-moving debate over whether he raised a difficult policy issue or crossed a line by normalizing exploitation.
According to the screenshots, Kim framed the issue as one of reality overtaking regulation. “Trying to eliminate red-light districts is turning the entire country into a red-light district,” he wrote, pointing to what he described as adult entertainment businesses operating near churches, schools and police substations. “We have no choice but to question this. We should acknowledge it and manage it,” he wrote, adding that with the rise of one-person households, society should not fall back on a “just cover it up and move on” mindset.
When another user raised concerns about legalization, he responded that there are people who “can’t do it without paying,” and argued legalization could help with public health management, including disease control — a line that many readers interpreted as calling for the sex trade to be brought under formal oversight.
Supportive commenters said the topic should be discussed more seriously rather than dismissed through outrage, arguing that Kim was pointing to deeper social problems that push the issue into the open anyway. Critics, however, accused him of ignorance and insensitivity, calling the argument outdated and dangerous — especially coming from a public figure with a large audience.
Whether Kim’s comments should be seen as a provocative question about regulation — or as a failure to grasp the direction of current debates — remains a matter of public interpretation. Still, the backlash highlights a familiar reality in celebrity culture: one controversial line, even in a now-deleted post, can outlive the post itself.
This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
Source: Korea Times News
