As rumors circulated online that singer IU was spotted by chance in Shanghai, a series of baseless malicious comments flooded the related posts.
One netizen recently posted on their personal account a short video along with the comment, “I actually met IU on Nanjing East Road in Shanghai. I thought, could it really be her? But it was truly IU. It was like something out of a movie. I never imagined something like this would happen in Shanghai.”
Chinese netizens spotted IU taking photos in front of her own billboard on Nanjing Road pedestrian street in Shanghai. pic.twitter.com/8kUZYai2oI
— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) September 9, 2026
The video captures the moment they ran into IU on Nanjing East Road. On that day, IU wore a burgundy cap, a gray top, and denim shorts, completing her outfit with a shoulder bag and burgundy shoes.
When she appeared, many people gathered around, and IU waved to greet her fans. The unexpected sighting drew many comments. Some were amazed by her petite figure, saying, “She’s way tinier than I thought,” while others expressed concern for her health, writing, “She looks very thin; I hope she’s taking good care of herself.”
However, malicious comments targeting IU also appeared. Absurd rumors labeling her as “Chinese” or an “agent of Chinese money” were openly posted. These commenters assumed IU to be Chinese and an agent of Chinese money, saying things like “a local,” “welcome back home,” “not even hiding it anymore,” “China’s proud woman,” “IU looks Chinese,” “Suspect IU is Chinese. Her Cantonese is native-level, shocking even locals,” “Why come to China at times like this?” and “She’s resting in her home country.”
While IU’s visit to China appeared to be for schedule commitments, some netizens absurdly spread rumors as if she was returning to her native country because she is Chinese.
Another netizen who saw this remarked, “Reading the comments, you can see how scary political obsession is. I don’t understand what benefit these people get by leaving such comments.”
IU has recently taken a strong stance against such malicious comments and rumors, including requesting identity verification through a U.S. court.
Legal actions have yielded results. In 2024, she won a defamation lawsuit against a malicious commenter who accused her of plagiarism, securing ₩30.0 million KRW (about $22,200 USD) in damages.
Last year, she filed criminal and civil suits against 96 malicious commenters, leading to seven fines, one order to attend sexual violence treatment programs, three conditional prosecutions with educational completion, and one suspended sentence with probation and supervision.
