[Sportschosun | Lee Woo-joo] Actress Son Ye-jin shared a casual mukbang on social media, sparking criticism over her table manners.
Son Ye-jin posted a video of herself eating a cheese stick on social media, along with the caption, "Finally ate it... It's delicious." In the video, Son Ye-jin enjoys her mukbang in a casual manner as she stretches out a generous amount of cheese. Her relaxed way of eating while savoring the long strands of cheese gives her a more approachable feel, different from the image she has usually shown in her work.
Son Ye-jin’s unexpected mukbang, from an actress known as “the nation’s first love,” spread online and drew a range of reactions. Many viewers found it cute and down-to-earth as she enjoyed her food comfortably, in contrast to the polished and elegant image she has shown as an actress.
However, some people criticized Son Ye-jin’s table manners rather than describing her as “cute” or “down-to-earth.” In particular, they said the loud smacking sounds heard while she ate were excessive and unpleasant. As more viewers said they were uncomfortable with the sounds in the video rather than with her eating itself, the issue grew into a debate over table manners.
The controversy intensified when reports spread on Threads that Japanese netizens were criticizing Son Ye-jin’s mukbang and condemning Korean table manners.
One Japanese netizen shared Son Ye-jin’s video and commented, "Even a woman eats while smacking her lips." Other netizens joined the discussion, commenting, "China and Korea have an image of people smacking their lips" and "A country that is lenient toward people who smack their lips," sparking a debate over Korean dining culture.
Domestic Korean netizens also criticized Son Ye-jin’s table manners, saying, "All Koreans are being mocked right now," "Please close your mouth when you eat," and "It doesn’t look good."
On the other hand, some people defended her, noting that eating sounds can seem louder than they actually are because of the nature of video recordings. Others questioned whether it was necessary to criticize her table manners over a simple mukbang video, leaving opinions divided.
Meanwhile, actress Son Ye-jin appeared in the Netflix original The Scandal, released on the 18th of last month.
wjlee@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
