Super Junior's Siwon has apologized for his controversial Instagram Story post, which sparked accusations of Islamophobia. One by one, the members of the K-pop group Super Junior have unfollowed Siwon, who has been vocal about his religious and political views.
Not only has Siwon been accused of Islamophobia, but he has also been labeled a Zionist. On Monday (September 29, 2025), Super Junior's Siwon re-shared a video from the Instagram account @reformedbychrist.
The video chronicles Christians in Nigeria who remain steadfast in their faith despite their churches being burned down by Muslims. "Nigerian Christians refuse to give up their faith after Muslims burned their church to the ground," reads the caption of a video re-shared by Super Junior's Siwon to his Instagram followers.
The post immediately sparked outrage among netizens. Many accused Super Junior's Siwon of spreading hate speech and cornering Muslims. Furthermore, he has never voiced support for Palestine, which continues to face attacks from Israel.
A number of ELFs (the name for fans of the KPop group Super Junior) even urged Siwon to leave the group by using the hashtag #SIWON_OUT. In response to the public backlash, Super Junior's Siwon finally issued an apology via the fan communication platform Bubble.
He stated that the post was not intended to offend anyone, but rather expressed concern over the attacks carried out by the extremist group Boko Haram in Nigeria. "After sharing a related video about Nigerian Christians yesterday, there has been a lot of discussion.
I also realize that if someone watches the video without any explanation, there may be misunderstandings. I sincerely apologize for causing concern," wrote the idol-actor. Super Junior's Siwon then presented data on the situation in Nigeria. He lamented the attacks on Christians there.
"According to official statistics, in Nigeria alone, by 2025, approximately 7,000 Christians had lost their lives and over 7,000 others had been kidnapped. They (Boko Haram) targeted local facilities, churches, and residents, carrying out acts of terror, kidnappings, and massacres."
"As a fellow Christian, I am deeply saddened by this suffering. I pray for the victims and their families, and since so few people in the world know about this tragic fact, I want to convey that help from Christian associations around the world is urgently needed.
I am even personally moved to help. And now in Korea, too, more articles and attention are starting to appear." "To be clear, it was never my intention to incite religious hatred or to marginalize Muslims.
Furthermore, I absolutely do not support violence in the name of any religion." "The world we live in is a place where people from different backgrounds and beliefs must live side by side with love and respect," concluded Super Junior's Siwon.
Despite writing a clarification, many netizens and fans considered Super Junior's Siwon's apology insincere. They highlighted that Siwon had expressed condolences for Charlie Kirk, a pro-Trump influencer who was shot dead.
Meanwhile, Siwon was accused of remaining silent on the plight of the Palestinian people and Christians in the region. Over the past few years, Super Junior's Siwon has been labeled a Zionist. He was seen attending the celebration of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Israel in 2022.
Several Israeli officials even flaunted their close relationship with Super Junior's Siwon through social media posts. When calls for a boycott of products supporting Israel erupted in 2023, Super Junior's Siwon also drew criticism for posting a photo of himself holding a Starbucks coffee cup.
The controversy has spread within the K-pop group Super Junior. Leeteuk and Yesung were the first two members to unfollow Siwon's Instagram account following his condolences for Charlie Kirk. Now, Heechul has unfollowed Siwon on Instagram after the Islamophobia issue surfaced.
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