K-pop star Choi Siwon, a member of the popular group Super Junior, has been accused of transphobia over a meme he posted on a private online discussion platform.
The controversial meme, which Siwon shared on Bubble on Monday, shows a scene from the movie “Titanic” in which actor Billy Zane’s character Caledon Hockley is trying to be rescued but is told “women and children first.” Zane’s character then claims to be transgender in an attempt to evacuate the ship more quickly.
“It’s funny kekekekeke,” the 36-year-old singer wrote along with the image.
Many users of the platform, including members of the Super Junior fandom, ELFs, found the meme insensitive and accused Siwon of mocking transgender people.
While Siwon has maintained an overall positive public reputation throughout his career, some social media users began looking through Siwon’s previous posts to find and highlight his views on homosexuality.
Others also commented critically on his alleged admiration for former United States Presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump.
Siwon is set to be a part of MBC’s upcoming variety talk show “Doing Something I Haven’t Done Before,” scheduled to air in June.
As of this writing, the singer has yet to respond to the online criticisms.
