RESCENE, which rose to fame for its gal-style image, is caught in an Ilbe controversy over "museubno" as political circles join the uproar [SC Issue]

[Sportschosun Baek Ji-eun reporter] RESCENE, which has been drawing attention as a new "miracle of a small agency," has been caught up in controversy after using a dialect expression once.

On June 28, Won-i's YouTube channel, "Hello, this is Woni, nice to meet you," showed Won-i visiting Minami's family home. As Minami introduced her younger brother's room, the producer asked, "There was a rattling sound here. What is it? Is it scary?" and Won-i replied, "It's scary. Even the lighting is scary."

The expression "no" sparked controversy because it is used by Ilbe Storehouse, a far-right online community, as a derogatory term for the late President Roh Moo-hyun. Kim Hyun-ji, a producer at Gyeongnam MBC who directed the documentary "Adult Kim Jang-ha," criticized the issue on her account on the 1st, saying, "I watched a well-received YouTube clip, and I was very upset to see a female idol and a producer casually exchanging 'no-no.'" She also pushed back against critical comments, saying, "I am not saying all users should be labeled as Ilbe. Whether to stop using a term once you learn it is rooted in hate speech is a matter of attitude. I hope people who speak the Gyeongsang dialect will think about it."

Some internet users also left inquiries to the National Institute of Korean Language, asking for a clear distinction regarding the use of "no."

However, there is also strong opposition, with many arguing that it is simply a dialect expression.

Professor Ahn Tae-hyung of the Dong-A University Korean Language and Culture Center said that although "no" has the form of an interrogative ending, it is also used as an exclamatory ending in self-talk or expressions of frustration. He added that the Gyeongsang dialect used "no" long before Ilbe began using it as a hate expression.

Comedian Kim Si-deok, who is from the Gyeongsang region, also pushed back, saying, "Why is the world so 'scary-no'?" He added, "I started making money through the Gyeongsang dialect, so I looked up a great deal of materials and books on dialects. The 'museubno' used by Won-i is indeed an interrogative sentence ending. Just because a younger-generation singer uses a dialect that people in their 50s and 60s speak does not mean someone younger can frame it as 'Ilbe.' That's just 'really bad.'"

The controversy even spread into politics. Cho Kuk, former leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, explained the difference by saying, "Ilbe mechanically adds 'no' after standard Korean words." Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, pointed out that "a 22-year-old idol from Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, was stigmatized simply for saying 'museubno' in her hometown dialect."

Professor Chin Jung-kwon also criticized the uproar, saying, "Whether it is going into collective hysteria over a single finger shape or collective frenzy over a single letter at the end of a word, the two groups are undoubtedly part of the same 'one' nation, sharing the same DNA, differing only in direction." He added, "Are people only satisfied after dragging a young idol star out and offering her up at the altar of May 18? It seems this country has only extremes left. The whole nation is becoming violently childish."

Baek Ji-eun, reporter, silk781220@sportschosun.com