As one of the most wired countries in the world, it is hard for anyone here to stay offline for long, and
now even the busiest singers and actors manage to squeeze their time to communicate with fans and express themselves through the Web.
Many celebrities each have their personal blogs, mostly on the famous networking Web site Cyworld. More than 20 million Internet users have joined the site, and thanks to its easy-to-use features and popularity, it has become one of the easiest and effective ways for celebrities to openly express their thoughts.
It started with actors who wanted to show more of themselves as ordinary people, not as the fashionable stars they were presented as through the media.
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Meanwhile, the online world has also become a popular space for stars who have something to say about issues other than fashion and trips, social issues and self-defense. Barely having enough free time to express themselves, blogs have apparently become handy when they need to get away from the glamour and trappings of the entertainment industry.
Shin Hae-chul has been known as a singer who openly and sarcastically criticizes government policies, and he made headlines once again by praising North Korea’s April 5 rocket launch last month on his official Web site.
When fans talked about the Wonder Girls’ Yu-bin’s weight offline and online, the 20-year-old singer wrote that she “loved the way I am and I am proud of myself whatever people say” on her Cyworld blog.
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“It’s the way they connect with the real world. As they grow older, they realize that they need a tool to communicate with the world. Young singers are used to using the Internet ; it’s fast, private and accessible in Korea, so it is natural for them to use their own blogs as tools of communication,” an official at an entertainment agency said.