K-drama stars IU and Lee Dong-wook dragged into South Korean ballot protest

A protest demanding a redo of last Wednesday's local election in South Korea has taken an unexpected turn, with demonstrators calling on K-drama star IU to send them coffee. The demand stems from IU's widely-publicized decision in 2024 to provide prepaid food and drinks for rallies calling for the impeachment of former president Yoon Suk-yeol after his failed martial law bid. This time, protesters from the opposite side of the political spectrum are invoking that same precedent, flooding IU's Instagram with comments asking for coffee at their Jamsil rally site.

The bizarre twist has drawn in Lee Dong-wook, IU's co-star from the hit K-drama "The Moon That Embraces the Sun" — though the article focuses mainly on IU. The protest itself stems from ballot paper shortages at polling stations during the local election, which demonstrators claim invalidated the results. With IU's 2024 support becoming a political reference point, the situation highlights how celebrity actions can be weaponized across party lines in South Korea's heated political climate.