Rep. Bae Hyun-jin under fire for bright attire, smile at actor’s funeral
Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the main opposition People Power Party is facing backlash over her clothing and conduct, deemed by some as not appropriate for paying respects at the funeral of the late actor Ahn Sung-ki, according to news reports Wednesday.
A day earlier, Bae arrived wearing a bright ivory coat at the funeral hall for Ahn at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, where a steady stream of mourners from the film industry and other sectors continued to gather.
The color of her clothing drew headlines later that day after footage of her being interviewed by reporters aired on television and circulated across online communities, prompting widespread criticism, as black attire is customary at funerals in Korea.
One user wrote on X that Bae looked as though she were attending a wedding. “Her makeup stood out as much as her coat. Was she really there to mourn?"
The lawmaker was also criticized for smiling while recalling memories with Ahn.
Recalling her memories with Ahn, Bae said, “Just as he gave so much love to the people, I hope he can now rest in peace and be surrounded by even greater love in heaven,” smiling brightly, a gesture commonly viewed as at odds with local funeral norms that emphasize a solemn, expressionless demeanor.
Some users also took issue with her use of the word “shocked.”
Asked whether there was a film by Ahn that she particularly enjoyed, Bae said she remembered being quite “shocked” by a scene in one of his earlier films where he eats a raw chicken.
Bae, 42, a former evening news anchor for MBC, entered politics by joining the conservative Liberty Korea Party — a precedent to the People Power Party — in March 2018. She is a two-term lawmaker who won a seat in southern Seoul's Songpa-gu in May 2020 and was reelected in 2024.
Others, however, argued that criticism had gone too far, saying it was unfair to judge her based on a single video clip.
Bae may not have had time to change into black attire after attending other events, one user wrote on Threads. What matters more than clothing is the sincerity of paying respects to the deceased, another user wrote.
Bae’s office has not issued an official comment regarding the situation.
Ahn, widely seen as a pillar of Korea’s modern film industry, passed away Monday morning at Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Seoul, with family members at his bedside in the hospital’s intensive care unit. He was 74.
He had been hospitalized unconscious after collapsing while choking on food at his home on Dec. 30.
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