The controversy surrounding Won, a member of the girl group Lissenne from Geoje, over her use of the Gyeongsang dialect expression "Musubno" has escalated to the political arena, intensifying criticism against her.
On July 5, various online communities and social media platforms saw a surge of posts targeting former representative Cho Kuk and the Gyeongnam MBC PD who initially raised the issue.
One user commented, "While Lissenne's Minami and Won are revitalizing local cities through their pure collaboration and cultural diplomacy, some politicians are stuck in their rooms, contemplating how to frame dialect grammar and impose an Ilbe narrative. It's shallow to use the healthy and harmless narratives created by young people as fuel for the outdated political arena. Can't they see why their support among those in their 20s is at rock bottom?"
Another user pointed out that the Democratic Party was among the most vocal in the impeachment of former President Roh Moo-hyun, stating, "Wasn't it the Democratic Party that led the charge against Roh's impeachment? The same party that discussed permanent expulsion and was behind the media that shamed him during the bribery scandal?"
They added, "It's more disgusting to see them politically exploit him now after treating him this way when he was alive. If they had shown even 1% of the respect they are now pretending to have, it would have sufficed."
Additional comments included, "Ilbe has been irrelevant for over a decade, yet they keep bringing it up. Even after taking power, they only talk about insurrection without any progress," and, "People who actually use the regional dialect are the ones suffering. It's excessive to politicize dialects."
The controversy began on July 1 when a PD from Gyeongnam MBC, reportedly from Busan, posted on social media criticizing the use of the "-no" expression by Lissenne's Won in broadcasts and YouTube content.
The PD expressed disappointment, stating, "I was upset to see a female idol and PD exchanging '-no' in a well-received YouTube clip."
As the post gained traction, netizens responded, questioning why it was an issue for Won to use her hometown dialect, with comments like, "Is dialect now subject to censorship?" The Korean Language Institute at Dong-A University also noted that "-no" is used in southeastern dialects not only for questions but also for exclamations and monologues.
However, the PD maintained their stance, stating, "Many speakers and researchers of Gyeongsang dialect have pointed out that the current use of '-no' is not grammatically correct," and added in a follow-up statement, "If there are people who feel hurt by its use, we need to reconsider using '-no.'"
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.