Screenshot of a viral X post featuring red and blue tteokbokki (X) Even the color of tteokbokki can take on political significance during election season in Korea.A viral post on X on Saturday showed a meal that included tteokbokki in its original red color alongside an edited version in which the dish had been turned blue. The post was captioned: "I voted and now I'm eating tteokbokki."Because red and blue are associated with South Korea's two main political camps, many interpreted the edited image as a lighthearted attempt to avoid appearing partisan.“Ah. ... I was wondering what it was. It’s voting day today,” wrote one commenter who realized the intention.Friday and Saturday were the early voting days for Wednesday's local elections.Such sensitivity to the two colors is common, particularly among celebrities and public figures.Rapper Lee Young-ji faced criticism this week after posting a selfie on Instagram showing off her newly dyed red hair with the caption, “Isn’t my hair pretty?”Lee later dyed her hair black, stating that she had not fully considered how her post might be interpreted in the current political climate. Left: Rapper Lee Young-ji with newly dyed red hair in an Instagram post uploaded Saturday. Right: Lee appears with black hair in a follow-up post Monday after issuing an apology. (Instagram) This sensitivity to political symbolism was also evident last year when K-pop star Karina became the focus of controversy ahead of South Korea’s presidential election in May.Karina posted photos from a trip to Japan on social media. While the images showed ordinary moments from her travels, attention quickly shifted to her outfit: a black jacket featuring bold red stripes and a large red number “2.” Screenshot of photos posted by Aespa member Karina in which she wears a black-and-red jacket with No. 2 written on it. The post has since been deleted.(Instagram) Since the post appeared days before the election and on the day of a televised debate, some internet users accused her of signaling support for a certain candidate.Careful coordination of clothing colors attracts attention as well.During the 2022 presidential election, rapper Defconn drew attention for wearing a jacket featuring red, blue, yellow, and white, all colors associated with different political parties. Rapper Defconn wears a jacket featuring colors associated with multiple political parties during the 2022 presidential election. (Instagram) Even innocent gestures can attract scrutiny.Some voters avoid making a “V” sign in photos, as it may be seen as a reference to a candidate’s ballot number. Many celebrities also wear black clothing to avoid any association with party colors.South Korean election law does not prohibit voters from wearing a particular color of clothing when casting their ballots.However, the law prohibits displays that could be interpreted as electioneering on voting day, including clothing or accessories bearing a candidate’s name, ballot number or campaign slogan.