Cho Kuk, the former leader of the Justice Party, clarified that he never targeted the girl group Lissen or referred to them as 'Ilbe' in connection with the controversy surrounding member Wony's use of the term 'scary no.'
On July 12, Cho posted on his social media, stating, "I have never mentioned or targeted Lissen in any of my writings," and added, "I have never said that Lissen is Ilbe." He explained that his concern was not with the Gyeongsang dialect but rather with the use of 'Ilbe-style no' that mocks the late former President Roh Moo-hyun. He aimed to highlight the infiltration of Ilbe culture into societal language and its associated risks.
Cho expressed regret that his comments were interpreted as criticism of Lissen. He said, "I am saddened that my post was used to hurt Lissen and its fans," and noted that he has little knowledge about idol groups, including Lissen.
He reflected on the need to pay closer attention to the language, culture, and context used by younger generations, influenced by conversations with his daughter and young party officials. Nevertheless, he vowed to continue fighting against the anti-human rights and anti-humanity culture of Ilbe.
At the end of his post, Cho expressed support for Lissen's activities, stating, "I applaud Lissen's efforts and achievements, and I sincerely hope they receive love on even bigger stages in the future," adding, "Let’s shout the slogan we learned from this incident: Lissen, yay!"
This controversy began with a Lissen YouTube content released on June 28, where Wony, from Geoje, followed the production team's use of the phrase 'scary no' during a visit to the hometown of Japanese member Minami. The discussion escalated online after Kim Hyun-ji, a PD at Gyeongnam MBC, pointed out that the expression was characteristic of Ilbe.
On July 5, Cho posted on social media about the need to distinguish between Ilbe-style expressions and the Gyeongsang dialect. He shared a post explaining how Ilbe users mechanically attach 'no' to standard language, while also explaining the usage of question-ending particles in the Busan and Gyeongsang regions.
This led to interpretations that Cho was targeting Wony's remarks. The debate has since expanded into a political dispute, with figures such as Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the Reform Party, weighing in.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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