Woni, a member of the K-pop group Risen from Geoje, has sparked a heated online debate after a television producer criticized her use of the Gyeongsang dialect ending "-no" in broadcasts and YouTube content.
A producer from Gyeongnam MBC, reportedly from Busan, posted on social media on July 1, expressing disappointment after watching a popular YouTube clip where a female idol and a producer exchanged the dialect ending.
The post quickly drew backlash online.
Many users responded, questioning, "Why is it a problem for someone from Geoje to use their hometown dialect?" and "People from Gyeongsang typically speak this way. Are we now censoring dialects?"
Conversely, some agreed with the producer, stating, "There are studies suggesting that the use of '-no' online has transformed into a term associated with Ilbe," and "Dialect and internet slang should be distinguished."
This controversy also brought attention to past comments from a professor at Dong-A University’s Korean Language Institute, who explained that the Gyeongsang dialect's '-no' ending is used not only in questions but also in exclamations and statements, reinforcing the argument that Woni's expression fits within the dialect's scope.
Despite this, the producer maintained his stance in a lengthy follow-up post, stating, "Many speakers and researchers of Gyeongsang dialect have pointed out that the current use of '-no' is not grammatically correct," and expressed concern that hate speech is contaminating the dialect itself.
He added, "As a fellow Gyeongsang native, if someone is hurt by the use of '-no,' we should reconsider its usage."
However, this statement also faced criticism.
On July 3, he posted again on social media, acknowledging that "SNS is not a suitable space for discussion," and emphasized that, similar to the long process of eliminating remnants of the Japanese language, this issue also requires time. He urged, "If someone is hurt by a specific use of '-no,' please reconsider its usage."
Nevertheless, this did not sway public opinion.
Instead, satirical 'translations' of his statements began circulating online, featuring lines like, "I didn't expect to be criticized for saying this," and "I hope you acknowledge that I was right in the end," capturing attention.
Users reacted, stating, "It's stranger to say we shouldn't use dialects," and "Isn't it contradictory for someone from Gyeongsang to argue against dialect use?" Others noted, "It seems like he is insisting on his views to the end," and "He has invited criticism for attempting to censor dialects."
One user pointed out that this incident exemplifies why the so-called progressive camp faces criticism, suggesting, "It reflects a sense of superiority that their standards are never wrong," and criticized the double standards applied to different issues.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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