Seoul, en.SERU.co.id — Rapper Lee Young Ji has apologized after her red hair and outfit selfie sparked accusations of political signaling just days before South Korea’s local elections.
On Saturday (30/5/2026), Lee Young Ji shared a selfie on her Instagram Story showing off her newly dyed bright red hair while wearing red clothing. She captioned it “머리 색 예쁘지” (Doesn’t my hair color look pretty?) and added the song “Red Red.” The post quickly drew attention because red is strongly associated with the ruling People Power Party (PPP).
She deleted the story shortly after. On Sunday (31/5/2026), Lee Young Ji dyed her hair back to black and posted a new mirror selfie along with a direct apology.
Her Statement:
“You guys must have been surprised by yesterday’s ill-timed Story. A lot of you reached out through DMs, and I felt really bad about it. I tried to fix it quickly by dyeing my hair again, so this explanation is a bit late. I’m sorry.”
“I knew this was an important time, but I got ahead of myself wanting to share with you all. I won’t make excuses like ‘I didn’t know.’ I’ll reflect on this and learn from it. Sorry for my careless behavior. Hope you’re having a good day.”
Her apology was well-received by most fans, though some felt the backlash was overblown. According to Korean media, she acknowledged it as thoughtless timing rather than any political intention.
This kind of “color controversy” is pretty common in South Korea during election periods. Red is linked to the PPP, while blue usually represents the opposition Democratic Party. Celebrities often avoid these colors entirely to prevent misunderstandings.
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Lee Young Ji appears to have handled the situation quickly, and the issue seems to be dying down fast.
*(Sources: Allkpop, Star News Korea, Donga.com & Nate News, MyDaily & Chosun Biz and Lee Young Ji’s Instagram account)
