[Sportschosun Reporter Kim Joon-seok] A controversy over RESCENE member Woni's use of the expression "scary" has spread into an "Ilbe controversy" involving Yoo Jae-suk, fueling heated debate online.
The dispute began with a piece of self-produced RESCENE content released on the 28th of last month. Woni, who is from Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, looked around the dark filming set and said, "It's scary. Even the lighting is scary."
Some online users later raised objections, saying the expression resembled an internet slang term used to disparage former President Roh Moo-hyun.
Others pushed back, arguing that it was simply a dialect commonly used in the South Gyeongsang region and that interpreting a local expression through a political frame was excessive. The controversy quickly spread.
The debate has now moved beyond Woni and into the use of dialect by other entertainers.
Recently, an old broadcast clip from the MBC variety show "What Are You Doing When You Play?" has been circulating again on online communities and social media.
The scene came from the "War of Money" segments aired in April and May, set in Tongyeong and Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. At the time, Yoo Jae-suk naturally used Gyeongsang dialect to match the local atmosphere, saying, "Why are we suddenly battling over population?", "What did I get angry about?", and "How much did you bring?"
Although the scene passed without any major criticism when it originally aired, it has resurfaced after the Woni controversy. Reactions have included, "Shouldn't everyone be judged by the same standard just because they use dialect?" and "Then does that mean Yoo Jae-suk's remarks are also a problem?"
Online debate continues, with some saying, "Does using dialect make everyone an Ilbe user?", "This is everyday speech in Busan and South Gyeongsang Province," and "Expanding a regional dialect into a political meaning is excessive," while others argue that public figures should be more careful with their words.
Meanwhile, MBC Gyeongnam producer/director Kim Hyun-ji, who had publicly criticized Woni's remarks, later came under fire for alleged double standards after it was revealed that she had used subtitles with the same "-no" ending in a Gyeongsang dialect program she had previously worked on. Kim later made her social media account private, and posts demanding disciplinary action and an official apology have been pouring into the MBC Gyeongnam viewer bulletin board.
narusi@sportschosun.com
