A protest in South Korea calling for a repeat of last Wednesday’s local elections over ballot shortages at polling stations is drawing attention beyond the vote issue, as some demonstrators target K-pop singer-actress IU with requests to send coffee to the rally. Reports say the added demand is linked to IU’s prior involvement in providing prepaid food and drinks for protesters who were calling for the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol after his failed martial law bid in 2024.
Organizers and participants demanding a new election are widely described as standing on a different political side than the groups IU previously supported, and commenters on her social media are asking her to provide similar support for this demonstration. On Saturday, IU’s Instagram post from last September about an upcoming album release reportedly drew thousands of comments from protesters, including requests to “send coffee” and references to citizens being denied the right to vote.
An unofficial police estimate cited in one report says more than 10,000 protesters gather in the same day near a polling-related location, underscoring the scale of the mobilization.
