For all those who are wondering why SNSD received the silent treatment and why ELFs, Cassies, and Triples are at war with Soshi, I am the same as you. Many of you fans or spectators may have some inkling of why they are bickering, such as the incessant scandals, the infamous Haptic CF, rude behavior, and personal attacks by fans. But I just can’t fathom why such a shocking degree of violence was displayed at the 2008 Dream Concert. Many spectators (and perhaps fans) may think that it is absurd that young kids are resorting to violence over relatively “petty” matters. I cannot wholly agree on this view, but I must say that I see this as only a side effect of what is going on in Korea. So I would like to share the REAL reason behind this violence.

I decided to write this article because as I was researching and translating blog posts on the events that took place at the Dream Concert, it seemed that the pages were bleeding red, like this.

Translation: THe country is going to pieces and you’re fighting over this?

I came across so many of these posts. At first I dismissed them, thinking that it was a simple excuse to divert attention from what happened at the Dream Concert. But after a while, I looked more closely at them and I realized that this was the very reason why these young kids became monsters and the Dream Concert became a nightmare. They were just releasing all their pent-up anger and anxiety that has accumulated in their personal life, family and society.

The citizens of Korea have recently taken to the streets in massive numbers to protest the resumption of U.S. beef imports. In April, the newly inaugurated Korean President Lee Myung Bak visited the United States to strengthen South Korea – U.S. ties. “South Korea reached a deal with the United States last month to open its market wider to American beef. Prior to the agreement, it only allowed in boneless beef from cattle under 30 months of age” (Reuters). Young cattle, under 30 months, are at a lesser risk of being contaminated by mad cow disease.

In 2003, South Korea imposed a blanket ban of 3 years when cases of mad cow disease broke out in the U.S. Last year, Seoul resumed U.S. boneless beef imports from cattle under 30 months but even that trade was stopped after quarantine inspectors discovered bone chips and spinal material in several shipments. This tainted the U.S. reputation and caused Koreans to be more wary. However, this recent deal has allowed all cuts of U.S. beef from cattle of all ages. Other US trading partners such as Japan still will not lift their own ban on U.S. beef imports because of concerns over mad cow disease and its deadly human variant, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (BBC).

“The level of public anger over the deal — which was meant to be a high point of President Lee Myung-bak’s visit to the United States last month and his first trip abroad since taking office — has clearly taken the government by surprise” (Reuters).

People have taken to the streets in protest of the government’s decision to lift the ban. On May 31, 2008 more than 40,000 protesters gathered on Sejong Street in central Seoul to protest, saying that this move does not protect consumer from mad cow disease. More than 10,000 riot police clashed with demonstrators, using water cannons to disperse them. In more extreme cases, some police used batons to beat demonstrators, leaving dozens hurt and bleeding on the streets (BBC).

On June 10, 2008, Koreans flocked to the streets and marched towards the Blue House, and held a candle light vigil. More than 100,000 citizens gathered all across the nation to hold a candle light vigil against the police violence and display a silent protest against the government’s actions.

You wonder why kids have become so violent. Well, it’s because they learn from their surroundings – where police are beating up innocent civilians and the people live in fear of their government. All 50,000 kids at the Dream Concert were playing out their own fears and anxieties – the fear of their voice being castrated, the fear of something they cherish being taken away, and the anxieties of a changing culture, disintegrating social structure, and the loss of liberty. The fearful eyes of these kids reflected the nation’s turmoil, and their silent protest was loud and clear. The ghastly cries of the fans in the stands show that their struggles as a younger generation parallel the struggles of their parents who are fighting to keep the future of Korea safe from the hands of corrupt politicians and corporations and to keep the light of democracy burning more fervently than ever.

This is why we see young kids taking the situation into their own hands – either through impressive demonstrations or cowardly attacks. (I’m not justifying the actions of some psychotic fanboys and girls who decided to physically attack other kids all in the name of their stars.)

Many well-informed Korean celebrities have cried out against this issue, including Se7en and SUJU Kim Heechul. However, the most outspoken celebrity so far has been actor Lee Junki, who slammed the riot police for their overzealous clampdown on protesters who held daily street demonstrations. He defended the protesters, “The people in Korea are struggling to make ends meet everyday and have been getting by through their patriotism and confidence towards the nation. But they really can’t tolerate any longer with this decision and so this is the result (demonstrations). They have no choice but to take to the streets in peaceful demonstrations to state their point.” The Korean government is gravely at fault for such a rash reaction. The people have the right to protest peacefully. Why? Because the government is for the people and by the people. WE shouldn’t be afraid of our leaders; the leaders should be afraid of us, the PEOPLE.

I bet some wise-cracks will have enough guts (but not enough brains) to leave comments, such as “You don’t have to eat U.S. beef if you don’t like it.” Don’t display your ignorance so conspicuously. The very act of shipping in meat that the U.S. doesn’t even eat means that Korean citizens are worth less than the average U.S. citizen. This is a violation of human rights. Why should Korea be forced to BUY “junk” from the U.S. in order to pass a fair-trade deal? What happened to the “fair” part of the deal? There is nothing fair about this. U.S. law makers and the U.S. Beef Association are at fault for imposing a ludicrous deal that endangers the citizens of an entire nation. The U.S. should stop acting so high and mighty and be ashamed of using the Big Stick diplomacy to spread its economic domination in this era of globalization.

Now there’s someone bound to call ShenyuePop an anti-American site. Guess what, I’m American and I’m proud to be one, through rain or shine, and victory or defeat. America is the land of the free, and the home of the brave (Support the Troops!). Repeat, Shenyuepop is not an anti-American site that professes anti-American sentiment.

And guess what? This is not an isolated incident. The U.S. Beef Association (and I bet a few other associations, such as corn and soy), with their giant lobbyists in Washington DC didn’t tell you that this “junk meat” actually ends up on our dinner plates, excluding vegans and vegetarians. Many also probably didn’t know that in February 2008, the LA Times uncovered a contaminated meat packaging plant, leading to a big meat recall. The lobbyists just quietly muffled cries of contaminated meat ending up on school lunch plates that feed 30 million low-income children in federally subsidized school lunch programs. But this is what actually occurred behind our backs: “Hallmark/Westland Meat in Chino bought cheap dairy cows and processed most of them into ground beef, which does not get a USDA grade and tends to be the catch-all for scraps and less lucrative cuts of meat” (LA Times). Wake up America, we our feeding our kids scraps that pigs don’t even eat! Read more about them here >>>>

Here’s some pics of dairy cows that eventually end up on our plates:

Look at them closely because I took them myself while holding my breath because it stank so much. These cows are crowded in a pen, sitting in their own feces (yes, that’s not dirt; it’s dung) steaming under the hot California sun. This is where our milk and cheese come from, before these cows get slaughtered to be turned into hamburgers. Just imagine how many hormone and antibiotic injections they need to get to survive in these conditions.

Or take a look at this dead one lying on the dusty road side for someone to pick up.

Some may be reading this and thinking I’m an animal activist. I’m not, or I would not be a meat-lover myself. But this kind of animal abuse should not be tolerated. This dairy farm happens to own more than 10 acres of land right next to this 1 acre distorted heap of cows, where these cows can freely graze. Of course, some readers may think I value animals more than humans. I don’t – I value them equally. Why are people drinking milk that has become a chemical concoction of hormones and antibiotics? This is not only a violation of animal rights but also that of human rights.

Check this out:

Video footage released January 2008 by the Humane Society showed workers using electric prods, forklifts and high-pressure hoses to force weak and sick cattle to their feet so they could be slaughtered. Cattle that cannot walk are banned from human food out of concerns of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease. Doesn’t it just make you want to become vegetarian?

All in all, there is much virtue in what adults or what our more informed peers tell us: Wake up! We are living in a world of lies, deceitful disguises, and violence. What we saw at the Dream Concert is just the tipping point of this century’s revolution. But it is our duty to mark this century as the era of peace and happiness, not the era of pain and suffering. So let’s keep the entertainment industry from becoming an arena for fandom craziness and animosity. There is too much hatred in this world already. For those of you who are so wrapped up in this fandom, WAKE UP! Learn more about the atrocities and injustices that are going on around the world and find a way to help the people both near and far from you. Because at the end of the day, all this bickering between fan clubs will only hurt your beloved stars and will only leave you ignorant of more urgent and significant matters in this world.

For those who are complaining that this article doesn’t belong in a Korean Entertainment site, then you should go elsewhere. Several readers complained that this site does not do any research and the articles are based on unsubstantial evidence. TAKE THIS. And if you are still complaining that our articles are not well-researched or shows only one-side of the story, then you are unabashedly hypocritical.

Darfur Genocide (pic above) – The U.S. and UN were unable to help Darfur genocide victims for the past 5 years, incurring more than 400,000 deaths. History repeats itself – we still haven’t learned our lesson from Rwanda.

China’s earthquake, Tibetan Independence, War in Afghanistan and Iraq, Global warming, Rising oil prices…just to list a few

Save Mother Earth! Peace

But for those who care less about the big picture, here’s a list of what “Cartel” fans and SNSD are fighting over. These matters below may seem relatively insignificant compared to the issue at hand; however, they are still social and cultural issues that teenagers and young adults are grappling with in Korea. So please respect the social customs and try to understand why these fans find these actions intolerable.

In the last post we promised a through researched base article where we tell you the reasons fanclubs pointed for the Dream Concert’s Silent Protest!

Before we start let us remind ourself a sad truth:
No matter what we say and think ..
it is not our opinions that matters .. it’s those who are living in Korea, those who breath that air and pay these artists that has a saying~ Sad reminder for us all .. we are the international fans after all .. no matter how hard you want to prove yourself otherwise we are the ones that don’t matter much to the Korean entertainment industry! We are the ones due to unfamiliarity with the Korean culture don’t understand what was really going on with the event that night and most of the stuff we read about fanclubs reasons behind the protest doesn’t sound logical to us! So keep in mind that at the end of the day it is important what Korean side of the story thinks, more than what you and I think!

We are dedicating this post to few fan accounts and mostly the reasons that has been listed by the Korean fans for disliking SNSD! Please have in mind that these are just the tip of the iceberg of what caused the protest! So take a minute and read Korean fans reasons for the alliances! Oh and since you don’t see these stuff around the SNSD fan forums doesn’t mean they don’t exists! The translators in such forums don’t tend to mention any non-positive news or article about their artists, all those Tiffany’s news incidents with junjin and actor Kim Ji Suk never saw the light of the day by them! For those of you called us biased and asked us to cover all the sides of the story .. i gotta tell you, all you read around after the incident is sides of the SNSD fans in the English side, I am sure they have done a lovely job explaining all the wrong doings of the fanclubs against them .. therefore, there is no reason for us to cover those parts! However, I strongly suggest you to act like a civilized person for once (this is to the SNSD die-hards that are full forced on mission spamming the comment section and desperately beg the readers to not believe any of this) read all the possible sides of the story and at the end of the day it’s your own choice to decide what you want to believe!

Unlike what it is being assumed SNSD fans were only one of the reasons behind the protest .. it was the SNSD members who actually created the starting blocks for the event!

Reasons Behind Cartel’s Actions:
1. Shinhwa
-Jun Jin
SNSD appeared at Sungmin’s DMB radio program as guests and they made fun of Shinhwa member JunJin. They called him “Justin Jinberlake” and Tiffany made a mockery of JunJin’s “Wa” dance from his solo performance, while other members were laughing and giggling.


Here is the video with the translation if you need it

Shinhwa fans were enraged that SNSD could be so disrespectful of their seniors, especially to Shinhwa, a legendary idol group that has amassed immense popularity for the past 10 years in the industry.
SNSD members were forced to personally apologize to Junjin.

-Shin Hye Sung
SNSD Tiffany also made rude comments, such as “Shin Hye Sung’s voice sounds like a goat” and “Look at Shin Hye Sung’s hair”.

-Lee Minwoo
When Lee Minwoo, in a playful manner, bowed and greeted SNSD first, what happened was that while the rest of SNSD were bowing, Hyoyeon (towards the right end) was the only one who didn’t and just stood there holding the hands of her members and preventing them from bowing too!
Here’s the clip(starts at 2:11):

(For those who have been reading this, it may seem absurd that we are arguing over these “simple” matters. But you don’t understand because this is Korea and there is a big cultural gap. Comparing this to American standards is not fair or reasonable because Korea is not the U.S. and Korean customs must be respected. In Korea, age is a big deal and in the entertainment industry, when you debuted is also a big deal. That means young kids must bow first to adults at 90 degrees. New artists must also call senior artists “sonbae” (senior) and use formal dialogue when conversing. These are Korean customs that must be followed, regardless if you’re a top public figure or not. In Korean society, respecting your elders is of utmost importance and I hope all the readers will understand why small slips of tongue can be a big deal in Korea. And if you’re Korean or Korean-American (living in a bicultural society) and you don’t understand this and think this is “petty”, then you should know better because you are Korean.)

- Using the word “garbage” for other groups on TV

On Happy Sunday program, there was a corner where two contenders tried to force each other to say “garbage” in order to win the game. On this day, SNSD’s Taeyeon sat across trot singer Park Hyun Bin and asked “What do you think of Shinhwa in Korea’s music industry?” In response, Park Hyun Bin said, “Garbage” in order to not lose to Taeyeon. However, SHinhwa member Kim Dong Wan was sitting next to them as a guest on the program. Both Taeyeon and Park Hyunbin were at fault. However, even if it was scripted, Taeyeon should have known better to not ask that question, instigating Park Hyunbin to respond unfavorably. Does it make sense to say this in front of a senior 10 years above herself?
Here’s a clip (starts at 4:32):
080413 Snsd TaeYeon Cut on Miraculous Victory and Defeat

2. Super Junior
-Tae Yeon came out on Kangin’s radio program and called him an “idiot” in korean so Kangin had to defend for Taeyeon and tell listeners she accidently mispronounced the word, and that she did not say that on purpose.

-On a show program Tiffany said “Lee Teuk” instead of “sonbae” when calling him to get his attention.
(In Korean there are two forms of speaking to someone and you must always formal speech when talking to elders–sunbaes.)

-SooYoung appeared on Star Golden Bell and lied that Lee Teuk only escorts girl trainees back home and accused him of being a player for which he got a lot of bashing for and a bad image in the media. This erroneous rumor spread like wild fire on the news.

-On Chin Chin Radio, Evan (a singer) appeared on Chin Chin radio and was talking with Sunny and Sungmin when Sungmin suddenly said, “Leeteuk is the same!” Then Sunny shot back “How dare you compare him with Leeteuk” = “How dare you compare Leeteuk to Evan?”

When asked what she didn’t like about the 1st album , Suhyun said she didn’t like the wigs they wore because Super Junior T wore it. Other members asked, “Was that the same one Shin Dong wore?”

Tiffany also said SNSD is not a unit and that many people think they are because of Super Junior. She said, “Some people are afraid that we might break up into groups like SUJU, but we are ONE. Taeyeon’s “IF” is that of SNSD, “Oppa Nappa” is also that of SNSD. After she said this, Kim hee Chul and Lee Teuk were mad and upset and wrote on their cyworlds that super junior is “one” as well.
Here is the video – it starts at 1:50
080430 SSGB Ep.120 – “Oppa Nappa” enters the Top 100 chart

—————
SNSD’s fans Conflict with SuperJunior’s fans
—————
-In the case of SUJU, on the Taeyeon-Kangin radio program “Chin Chin”, -Taeyeon said a cuss word that eventually Kangin had to take responsibility!
Specifically she called him a “retard” in korean it’s a cuss word. In return Kangin had to defend for Taeyeon and tell listeners she accidentally mispronounced the word, and that she did not say that on purpose.

We all heard how Taeyeon received over 300 hate comments that day!
*
Here is the other side of the story!
-SNSD fans went to SUJU Kangin’s fan cafe and bashed him like there was no tomorrow with words that a living person could not say!

Soshi fans wreak terror on SUJU fan clubs
Kangin Fan club terror:
SNSD fans bashed Kangin on his fanclub site, leaving messages:
“Kangin ….that bastard”
“Look at that picture of him, he looks constipated”
“Bastard…..he’s like a booger”
“I just want to press you down with my feet…”

Leeteuk fan club terror:
SNSD fans left these sweet sour words for SUJU’s Leeteuk:
“How are you an angel without wings?
crazy bastard ..haha.. you’re not an angel, you’re probably a ghost, you bitch”
“….I’ll rip your penis off”

Sungmin’s fan club terror:
liberal spamming of “Have sex with me Sungmin”

One more reason to add!
SNSD fans call SUJU’s DongHae “Oh, the one who’s fatherless.”

and at the night of the concert!
This is the a proof that the banner was not taken away …
by the guards for creating more seats!

Dream Concert – What happened to E.L.F.?

3. S.E.S
SNSD commented that it would be difficult to follow S.E.S. because its members are artificial. (Looks who’s talking!)
And they added that SNSD is this generation’s beauties. (Source)

4. SS501
-When Tiffany saw Park Jung Min, she said he looks like he’d have 10 bank accounts and that he looks funny from far away.
-During the program, Tiffany also exclaimed “omg HIM”?! when she saw Park Jung Min. She has no right to be an MC.
-SNSD fans made fun of SS501’s Kim Hyung Joon, saying “he looks disgusting.” They also made fun of Park Jung Min.

At the night of the concert!
Here is the fancam of a scene SS501 fans were getting bitten up by SNSD fans

This is what she wrote:
This is a picture of the entrance on the first floor
where Triple S fans (SS501) were beaten by Soshi fanboys,
They prevented us from going down stairs and stopping them.
I just cried while watching them
My heart is weak… (Credit: Naver blog)

5. DBSK
Same as what happened with SS501 and SUJU; some members of SNSD did not use formal speech when talking about DBSK and calling their names, like saying “Xiah Junsu” instead of “sonbae”.
- Jessica guest starred on Park Kyung Lim’s Outing. Park Kyung Lim asked Jessica who her favorite artist was and she said DBSK. Then Park Kyung LIm asked which member in DBSK she liked and she said “Jaejoong”, not using formal speech to say his name.
- Tiffany showed how witty she was by saying DBSK’s wave of red balloons looked like insects.
- SNSD fans were upset about the CF that SNSD did with DBSK so they accused DBSK of sexual harassment to give DBSK a bad image and creating a buzz in the internet.

Disrespectful comments in DBSK’s chatting box
This is referring to DBSK’s incident where an anti-fan gave them a drink mixed with superglue that got Yunho sick and sent him to the emergency room.
One SNSD fan wrote: “Instead of medium-strength super glue, I want to see them swallow extra-strength super glue”

And at the night of the concert!
There were no comments, such as “SNSD Disband”.
(Fans say that they have heard of this ‘petition’ for SNSD to disband; however, the dream concert organizers, “Cartel” fans, were not aware of this.) but while SNSD was singing, there were fans shouting “Wonder Girls!” instead that it must have hurt SNSD fans. There were also accounts that Wondergirls fans were crying because of this…because they were so moved.

Another fan account, from a Cassie
I was constantly kicked in the head and was hit by balloons by SNSD fans. I got fed up and told them off “Stop it you bastards”. From that point on they started hitting my head with their fists. I remember exactly, there wasn’t just one person, but 5 or 10 that came to my seat and started beating me. SNSD fan girls were just looking at the scene and giggling….while some fans were so alarmed that they were talking of calling the police. I couldn’t defend myself and just patiently hoped that they would stop. When they left, I went over to the SUJU side to ask my friend for help. She took me to the hospital. When I awoke the next day at 2 in the afternoon, I found myself in a hospital bed with my mother humped over my bed, holding my hand tightly. I have bandages around my head…it seems like my head was ripped open.

6. Big Bang
SNSD made fun of Tae Yang’s real name “Dong Youngbae”, saying “What kind of name is that? It’s not even “Dong Young sang” (videos).” They probably though they were so clever that they could rhyme Young bae’s name to the word for videos in Korean.

7. Epik High- Tablo
Taeyeon was on Kangin’s Chin Chin radio when she saw Tablo at the computer. She said, “Doesn’t he look like a leet “오타쿠” ?
(For those who don’t know what leet means, you can look it up in “Urban Dictionary”. But leet is an internet word that has evolved into referring to gamers or computer hackers who are stuck in front of their computers. But in Korean, it also has negative references to the Japanese.)

8. Happy Shares Company (만원의행복) show program
SNSD members were rude to the program PD (producer & camera man), intentionally hiding Yoonah (the guest) and giving her food to eat, which is against the rules on the show. When they were finally caught by the PD, they shook their head and said, “We didn’t do anything” and then at the end, blatantly admitted that Yoonah ate something.
The PD said, “For someone who is young, you shouldn’t do this, Yoonah.”
Yoonah replied, “I’m 18,” while blinking her eyes innocently.
Yuri, who was standing in front, said, “We are old enough ~” while Taeyeon grabbed the back of her neck and pretended to fall to the ground, expressing that what the PD said was not “fair”.
Obviously the PD had every right to speak his mind, and the way SNSD was treating him was very rude and inexcusable.
SNSD then performed the song “Girls Generation” that starts with quite fitting lyrics “Don’t make fun of me because I’m young…” (Then why don’t they just grow up?!)
Here’s a clip (start at 3:37):

9. Discriminating on show programs
On a weekend café program, SNSD called a trot singer “Sparkles” (referring to the bright sequined clothes they wear) and said, “Get money from Sparkles~”. The members delayed the serving the singer, saying amongst each other “I don’t like Sparkles”. They made their contempt for the singer evident while showing favoritism for some baseball players also at the café.

10. YoonA Disrespected Tei
YoonAh guest starred on Tei’s “Island” radio program. Tei greeted her with a full bow but Yoonha just gave a small bow as if greeting a B-list singer. Tei is not a B-list singer; he is one of the top ballad singers in Korea with a voice to die for.

11. Wonder Girls
- Soshi fans went to Wonder Girls’ fan signing
One SNSD fan went to the Wonder Girls’ fan signing and asked Sunye to sign “Right now is Girls Generation”. This fan also dared to post a picture of Sunye singing this online.

- Remarks related to Wonder Girls
Whenever SNSD asks “Do you like Wonder Girls or SNSD?”
they grow cold and silent towards people who say “Wondergirls”.
- SNSD girls did mic tests while Wonder Girls was rehearsing. (Couldn’t they wait until Wonder Girls finished performing? Why do they always have to be an interference?)

12. Tiffany disrespected Kim Ji Suk
As we covered this incident before actor Kim Ji Suk’s English was corrected on air by Tiffany and caused him embarrassment for the rest of the program. This is when Kim Ji Suk is fluent in English himself and he was raised in England and lived in the United States for some years as well!

^ (Tiffany doesn’t sings the lyrics correctly herself either)

13. Christmas Charity volunteer activities
For a Christmas charity event, SNSD planned to visit a nursery to take care of kids. However, SNSD was late for the event, leaving only 20 minutes to take care of the kids. And during this time, there were so many reporters at the scene that all SNSD did was to take pictures with the kids. (It was just a publicity stunt to enhance their fake image.)

14. When Nation Got Offended
Yuri made a slip of tongue, saying “My country” instead of “Our country” when referring to Korea, causing a national outcry. (The news)

……………………………………………………………………………………..

This is for those who doubted the knife!

^ this is for those who said it’s his cellphone!
—————————————————————-
At the end here is what cartel wants to say to soshi fans!
Soshi fans, you guys brought the downfall of your beloved stars. Don’t you know that in this “fandom” that dominates the Korean music industry, FANS make their stars. It might be quite unfortunate for stars themselves but it is the sad truth that fans will either make or break their stars. The rude, obnoxious, unethical, and inhumane actions by Soshi fans testify that they represent the same kind of stars.

A message from “Cartel” members:
“CHEERS ARE WAYS FOR FANS TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR THEIR FAVORITE ARTISTS! WE CAN’T GUARANTEE THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS WON’T HAPPEN AGAIN.” (Credit: Naver)

Sources: Naver

______________________________
Full Credit When Posted Elsewhere
Source: Reuters, BBC, Sports Chosun, Naver, LA Times, Youtube, Newsen, Washington Post, damienkatz.net
Credit for ShenYuePop.com: ShenYue! + soyboy
No Additional Credit Should Be Added