A Message From The Chief Editor

마음 아픈 재범사태

작년 9월의 일이었다. 먹잇감을 노리는 악어떼가 습격하듯 한국의 네티즌들은 그를 물어뜯었다. “너희 나라로 돌아가라” “양키고홈”은 얌전한 편이었다. ‘자살청원’ ‘사지절단 청원’이라는 끔직한 언어들이 하루아침에 인터넷을 뒤덮었다.

사건 나흘만에 그는 어머니가 있는 시애틀로 돌아갔다. ‘박재범’이라는 이름 석자가 뇌리에 박힌 것은 시애틀 공항에 마중나온 어머니의 모습을 인터넷 동영상으로 본 이후였다.

절망 속에 갇힌 아들을 따스하게 안아주며 속으로 삭혔을 어머니의 눈물이 남의 일로 느껴지지 않았다.

그 가 한국을 떠난 후 분위기는 순식간에 반전됐다. 문제의 발단이 됐던 글이 그를 모함하기 위해 악의적으로 오역된 것이었음이 밝혀졌고, 이후 인기 아이돌그룹 2PM의 리더 박재범의 인지도는 하루가 다르게 높아만 갔다. 억울하게 한국에서 내몰렸던 재미동포 3세 청년의 연예계 복귀는 당연한 듯 보였다.

그런데 지난 25일, 소속사는 돌연 박재범의 영구탈퇴를 발표했다. 부도덕한 사생활이 이유였다. 소속사가 밝힌 탈퇴 이유는 언론과 네티즌들의 먹잇감이 되기에 충분했다.

또 다시 굶주린 승냥이떼처럼 달려들어 박재범 군의 부도덕한 사생활이 무엇인지 파헤치게 될 것이 눈에 불을 보듯 뻔했다. 인권이라고는 찾아볼 수 없는 한국 인터넷의 병폐가 변명조차 하지 못하는 상황에 놓인 박재범 군을 두번 죽일 꺼라는 생각에 안타까움을 금치 못했다. 

그러나 예상은 빗나간다. 빗나간 예상은 충격적이었다. 놀랍게도 소속사 발표 이후 인터넷 여론은 박재범 군에 대해 무한한 신뢰를 보내고 있었다.

마녀사냥을 노리는 악플러들의 모습은 찾아보기 힘들었다. 한국의 인터넷에서 어떻게 이런 일이 일어날 수 있는지 의아스러울 정도다.

지 금 인터넷에는 낯선 어머니의 나라에서 연습에만 몰두했던 그의 과거와, 멀리 떨어져 있는 부모님을 향한 눈물어린 효심, 꿈의 성취를 위해 술 담배조차 입에 대지 않았던 철저한 자기관리, 한국이라는 사회를 알아가며 즐거워했던 재미동포 3세의 순진함과 겸손함이 네티즌들의 마음을 사로잡고 있다.

그를 옹호하는 여론은 소녀팬들의 몫이 아닌 듯 보인다. 30, 40대의 남성들과 50세를 넘긴 주부들까지 가세해 각종 게시판과 블로그 등에 이번 사태에 대한 자신의 견해를 밝혀가며 대형 기획사에 의해 처참하게 밟히고 찢긴 재미동포 3세 청년의 꺽여진 꿈을 보듬어주고 있다.

이에 반해 그에게 배신의 화살을 던진 그룹멤버들의 사생활은 걷잡을 수 없이 폭로되고 있다. 그동안 팬이라는 이름으로 미화시키고 숨겨줬던 이중적인 사생활이 여과없이 드러나면서 인터넷은 거의 폭발 수준에 다달았다.

이들 멤버들의 팬클럽은 운영자에 의해 자진 폐쇄됐고, 회원들은 팬카페를 무더기로 탈퇴하고 있다. 한국 연예계와 인터넷 역사에서 전례를 찾아보기 힘든 이변이 일어나고 있는 것이다.

안타까운 점은 감동의 신뢰와 치졸한 배신이 교차하는 지점에서 이미 한 차례 처참한 절망을 경험했던 그가 또다시 어머니의 나라로부터 치유될 수 없는 큰 상처를 입고 있다는 사실이다.

“온갖 루머에 충분히 절망할 수 있는 상황에서도 의젓한 모습을 보여주는 재범을 보고 절망보다는 희망을 가지게 되었다.” 이번 사태를 겪으며 재범의 어머니가 전한 얘기다.

만 신창이가 되도록 찢기고 상처받아도 내 어머니의 나라이고, 내 자식의 모국이기에 침묵하고 용서할 수 밖에 없는 것이 어머니의 마음일까. 가슴 속 깊은 곳에서 터져 나오는 울음을 수도 없이 삼켰을 그 어머니의 심정에 생각이 닿으니 가슴이 먹먹하게 메어온다.

최윤주 편집국장 editor@wnewskorea.com

Jaebum's Situation Hurts My Heart

It happened last September. Like a horde of alligators attacking for food, Korea’s netizens ripped him to shreds. “Return to your country” and “Yankee go home” were some of the less harsh comments. Awful words such as “Suicide Petition” and “Amputation of all Four Limbs Petition” upended the internet all in one morning.

In four days, he returned to Seattle where his mother was. The name “Park Jaebum” became ingrained in my mind after I saw the video of his mother greet him at the airport through the internet.

When I saw the mother who most likely cried on the inside as she warmly hugged her son, who was locked in despair, it did not just feel like another person’s business.

After he left Korea, the atmosphere changed in an instant. It was discovered that his words that were at the root of the problem were actually mistranslated with bad intentions to slander him. After this, popular idol group 2PM’s leader Park Jaebum became more well-known by the day. After the third generation young Korean-American man was unjustly forced out of Korea, it looked as if his return to show business was certainly to be expected.

However on the 25th of February, the entertainment company unexpectedly announced Park Jaebum’s permanent withdrawal. The reason they gave was because of his immoral personal life. This reason that was announced by the entertainment company was more than enough bait for the netizens and the press.

Again like starved coyotes, it was obvious that they were going to attempt to try and find out what his immoral personal life was like. When I realized that they were killing Park Jaebum twice over through the evils of the internet in Korea, where human rights do not exist, where he was put in a situation where he cannot even defend himself, I could not contain my sadness.

However, my prediction was wrong. It was shocking. Surprisingly, after the announcement by the entertainment company, the public was showing boundless faith in Park Jaebum.

It was hard to find any antis attempting to witch-hunt. It was almost suspicious as to how this could happen on the internet in Korea.

Now with the past revealing his complete absorption in his training in his unfamiliar motherland, his tearful love for his parents who were far away, the thorough self-discipline through which he would not drink or smoke because of the dream he wanted to achieve, the cheerful way in which he learned more about the Korean society, this third generation Korean-American’s pureness and humbleness has grabbed a hold of the hearts of the netizens.

The general public who are defending him do not seem like they are coming from his young female fans. Men in their thirties and forties and housewives who are over fifty are, on various message boards and blogs, revealing their opinions. They are embracing the broken dream of the third generation young Korean-American man that was so appallingly stomped on and ripped under the large entertainment company.

On the other hand, the group members that pointed the arrow of betrayal towards him, their personal lives are being exposed uncontrollably. Because they were fans all this time, they glossed over and hid the members’ two-faced personal lives, but now without any filters, their personal lives have been revealed to the point where the internet is about to explode.

The fanclub of the members has been voluntarily closed under the manager, and the members of the fancafe are leaving in mass amounts. This is an unprecedented extraordinary event that is happening in the history of Korean show business and the internet.

The regrettable part is that at the cross section where he is being given both moving faith and dirty betrayal, where he has already once experienced horrible despair, he is again being given an incurable wound from his motherland itself.

His mother has said even as she is going through this current situation, “I am able to hope rather than despair when I see the maturity that Jaebum is showing even though he is put in a situation where he could despair over all of the rumors.”

Even though he was ripped and wounded to the point where he was thoroughly hurt, I wonder if his mother’s feelings are that because this is the country of her mother, the homeland of her son, she has no choice but to stay silent and can do nothing but forgive. When I think of his mother, who has probably countlessly repressed the tears that have been exploding from deep within her heart, my heart gets choked up.

Chief Editor Choi Yoonjoo editor@wnewskorea.com

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CREDITS : NEWS KOREA (SOURCE) ; ___@2ONEDAY.COM (TRANS)

"When I saw the mother who most likely cried on the inside as she warmly hugged her son, who was locked in despair, it did not just feel like another person’s business."

That part was the saddest part... It was heartbroken for us to see our own mother holding back their tears and keep smiling to tell us everything is okay... And that must be hard for Jaebum and his mother too.