Kim Eana, one of the best-known lyricists who has written countless songs for K-Pop’s hottest stars like IU and Taeyeon, has denied association with the problematic website Ilbe after screenshots of her past online chat messages have resurfaced.
The chat messages, alleged to come from Kim Eana’s Twitch account and sent to an online gaming streamer’s live broadcast, showed the lyricist using words that are specific to ilbe users. The vulgar words in question, like “jwa-jangmyun” and “hotpot,” are said to be mocking former Korean President Moon Jae In and the Democratic Party of Korea.
- Did you just declare yourself a jwa-jangmyun?
- Cho Kuk…?
- A solid #1 supporter…?
- Please pick between hotpot vs. jjajangmyun.
Alongside the chat messages, Kim Eana’s past appearance on a live broadcast show in which she used the word “samilhan,” an ilbe word strongly linked to violence toward women, also resurfaced.
Lee Mal Nyeon: I’m just saying… I think people need to be beat up once a while. It keeps them modest.
Kim Eana: Are you suggesting you’re into samilhan?
Amid the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol‘s martial law declaration, Kim Eana received Instagram comments calling her out as a Yoon Suk Yeol supporter and an ilbe user. To one comment, the lyricist responded claiming that she had never accessed the ilbe website and that she is “just a citizen outraged by the martial law declaration.”
Comment: What do you think about the declaration of martial law? Do you agree with the impeachment? Did you vote for Yoon Suk Yeol?
Kim Eana: I’ve never accessed the ilbe website. I had no idea that the words were from ilbe. I’m just another citizen outraged by the martial law declaration.
Comment: But how do you know the ilbe words like jwa-jangmyun, hotpot, and samilhan?
Comment: Well, it is possible to know about the words without being an ilbe user. Just like you know about the words.
Comment: Sure, it’s possible to know about them without being an ilbe user. But a non-ilbe user would never use such words.
Meanwhile, the screenshot has left K-Pop fans in utter confusion as Kim Eana has presented herself differently on TV programs, etc. A theqoo post accusing Kim Eana of being an ilbe user has since garnered over 960 comments expressing shock, disappointment, and sheer disgust at ilbe.
- “These words are f*cking repulsive.”
- “That’s Kim Eana for sure, LOL. Back then, she was watching a ton of Hearthstone streamers on Twitch and she would chat up a storm with Hearthstone pro-gamers. She also had no problem watching some of the Hearthstone streamers who were on the ‘darker’ side.”
- “I’m so shocked right now, this is… giving me the chills. Ugh.”
- “What do these words even mean…? I’ve never heard of them.”
- “WTF? This is shocking.”
- “Wait, I’m speechless… I’ve never heard of the words, but to hear them from Kim Eana?”
- “Her whole persona was fake. A lyricist who uses vulgar words that most women don’t even know about?”
- “It’s… so vulgar that I’m beyond shocked.”
- “This makes me so mad. I guess ilbe users knew about her already. But because she wasn’t exposed, she wasn’t cancelled. I can’t believe I kept listening to her music. It makes me sick to my stomach.”
- “This is shocking.”
Read more about “ilbe” here:
Inside “Ilbe”: What Exactly Is This Korean Website And Why Has It Become So Problematic?
