Just recently, Lee Hyori decided to no longer use her social media account (Instagram) allegedly due to her current controversy related to some Chinese fans online.
South Korean star Lee Hyori deactivated her Instagram account after receiving criticisms from Chinese fans when she reportedly made light to the name "Mao" on the Korean TV program, Hangout with Yoo.
In a statement released though, she denied it and said, "I will no longer use Instagram. The reason is not necessarily because of the recent issue (but somehow, it did influence this decision). But this application was where I wanted to communicate with my fans, and since I don't do promotions very often, I think my fans were suffering from not being updated to my projects. However, it turns out that this social media application is difficult than I thought, and it has its ways of making you feel worried all the time. So now, I will try to find another way to communicate with my fans."
However, Lee Hyori isn't the only Korean celebrity who chose to use their social media account no longer. Some actors opted not to show their private lives through social media as well. Apart from Lee Hyori, numerous Korean actors avoid the use of social media.
Here are some of them:
Gong Yoo
K-drama Guardian: The Lonely and Great God a.k.a Goblin lead star Gong Yoo is known to keep his social life private. He doesn't use social media since he once described the said platform as "poisonous," he explains that one might feel deprived when they see a person (be it a celebrity or a normal person) possessing something that they couldn't afford to have. For him, it is unhealthy, and said that he doesn't want to make someone feel "unnecessary deprivation." Due to this, he is now reluctant to open his online accounts.
Gang Dong Won
South Korean actor Gang Dong won started out as a model carrying wide variety of high end brands like DKNY, Gucci and Hugo Boss. Then in 2003, he made his acting debut on television portraying the role of a doctor with a regional dialect in Country Princess (also known as Funny Wild Girl). It's been quite a while since his debut in the entertainment industry and the actor has not once opened a personal social media account.
Gang Dong won explained that he "doesn't have stories to share personally" and he also thinks that there a limitations when it comes to communication using Social media since everyone has different opinions and personalities.
Song Joong ki
Descendants of the Sun lead actor Song Joong-ki is now known as one of the best actors in South Korea. He is also tagged as a top Hallyu star, and even though he is very famous today, the actor still considers himself "technologically illiterate." It means that he is not very updated and knowledgeable when it comes to technology. And that's just it! That is the main reason why the famous actor Song Joong Ki stays away from social media. Instead, his avid fans and followers have to create his fan accounts on social media using his name and none of which are verified to be his original account.
Block B's P.O
Pyo Ji Hoon, better known as P.O, is a South Korean rapper and actor. He is a member of the famous hip-hop boy group Block B. The Korean star doesn't always use social media because of the same reason as actor Song Joong Ki, he considers himself as "technologically illiterate." If you check out the bio on his official Instagram account, you will see it says, "P.O doesn't know how to manage SNS. (Company runs by itself)."
Plus, P.O once shared in an interview that he is an emotional person and he doesn't want to give other people any unnecessary negative emotions by opening a personal account.
