Lee Jun-seok "Daegu and Hwagyo Should Not Be Subject to Disparagement"
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Comedian Kang Seongbeom sparked controversy over regional disparagement on the 19th by mentioning that the parents of former People Power Party Supreme Council member Lee Junseok are from Daegu and saying, "Wouldn't it be better if they were overseas Chinese?" In response, former Supreme Council member Lee pointed out, "Neither Daegu nor overseas Chinese should be targets of disparagement."
On that day, Kang Seongbeom opened his remarks on his YouTube channel 'Kang Seongbeom TV' by saying, "Since former Supreme Council member Lee took first place in the polls, theme stocks related to Lee Junseok started to appear on portals, and there are even rumors that 'Lee Junseok's father is overseas Chinese.'"
He continued, "Former Supreme Council member Lee clarified, 'That's an absurd slander. Both my father and mother are from Daegu,'" and added, "Personally, I thought, 'Wouldn't it be better if they were overseas Chinese?'"
Then, the panelists who were broadcasting together burst into laughter and said, "This is racial discrimination. Apologize," but also added, "Isn't it the same anyway whether it's Daegu or Greater China when it comes to holding a passport?" To this, Kang Seongbeom said, "I'm sorry," and "That thought just suddenly came to me."
Former Supreme Council Member Lee Jun-seok, running for the People Power Party leadership election. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Netizens who saw the video criticized Kang Seongbeom's remarks as 'regional disparagement.' One netizen said, "He doesn't even seem to realize that what he's saying counts as regional disparagement. As someone from Daegu, I'm really angry," and added, "I've never seen a celebrity so blatantly incite regional animosity. Is being from Daegu such a fault?"
Other netizens also criticized, saying, "Regional animosity is fading, but is he going backward in time? A statement that crossed the line," "I feel sorry for Lee Junseok, who is insulted for being from a Daegu family," and "I'm disappointed in Kang Seongbeom, who makes regional disparagement remarks while laughing. Those who rise by their mouth fall by their mouth."
Former Supreme Council member Lee, seeing this, wrote on his Facebook on the same day, "I don't know what the intention is behind saying that overseas Chinese are better than Daegu, but everyone is ruined over a few bucks. They are doing subpar broadcasts with bipartisan cooperation," and added, "Neither Daegu nor overseas Chinese should be targets of disparagement."
Meanwhile, Kang Seongbeom debuted in 1996 as part of SBS's 5th public recruitment comedians and gained great popularity with the character 'Sudaman' on KBS Gag Concert. He runs a pro-government political commentary YouTube channel with 350,000 subscribers.
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