"I am Chungju"… Heated Debate Over Parody Craze Born from Jeoncheongjo

'I am Cheongjo Font' Trend Sparks Flood of Parody Videos
RM, Eom Ji-yoon, and Chungju City Join "I am Cheongjo Parody"
Wi Geun-woo Criticizes, "Even the Promoters Are Acting Like This"

As the phrase 'I am Cheongjo-style,' which mimics the speech pattern of Jeon Cheongjo, the remarriage partner of former national fencing athlete Nam Hyun-hee, has become a meme (internet slang) and spread widely, a debate has also arisen over the trivialization of this incident.

Kim Seontae, an administrative officer of Chungju City, parodying Jeoncheongjo.
[Photo by YouTube 'Chungju City' capture]

On the 31st of last month, a short video titled 'Jeon Chungju' was uploaded on the official YouTube channel of Chungju City. The video featured Kim Seon-tae, an administrative officer wearing sunglasses, holding a coffee cup and looking somewhere. Behind Officer Kim stood two men like bodyguards.

When asked where his real hometown was, Officer Kim replied, "I am Chungju-eyo," and the phrase "OK... Then I will donate next time, Hometown Love Donation System" appeared consecutively on the screen.

This was a parody of a photo taken by Mr. Jeon, who posed with bodyguards to impersonate a famous group's illegitimate child and a third-generation chaebol heir. The sentence mixing English and Korean also parodied Mr. Jeon's unique speech pattern.

(From the left) Comedian Eom Ji-yoon parodying Jeon Cheong-jo accompanied by a bodyguard, Jeon Cheong-jo.
[Photo by Eom Ji-yoon Instagram, Kim Min-seok, Seoul Gangseo-gu Council member]

Earlier, on the 30th, comedian Eom Ji-yoon also joined the parody. Eom Ji-yoon quoted a smartphone SNS messenger message allegedly sent by Jeon Cheongjo and posted a photo with the caption "I am Eomcheongjo." In the photo, Eom Ji-yoon perfectly parodied the composition of Jeon Cheongjo posing with bodyguards to emphasize the background of being a third-generation chaebol heir.

As the Jeon Cheongjo case, which turned into a notorious fraud, gained intense attention online and on SNS, not only Eom Ji-yoon but also broadcasters, large corporations, and influencers joined the parody. They especially imitated Jeon Cheongjo's message speech style to increase interest and entertainment, using it for marketing and content.

Starting with the controversy around Eom Ji-yoon, the 'Jeon Cheongjo parody' has sparked heated debates among netizens. Some view the parody as another form of victim-blaming, while others argue that a parody is just a parody. Eom Ji-yoon has since deleted the post.

Opponents of the parody point out that considering Jeon Cheongjo's criminal record of fraud, charges of child abuse, and stalking reports, there must inevitably be victims, and consuming these various methods as 'parody' should be restrained. Above all, there is concern that if the actual incident is regarded as a 'melodrama'-like development and treated like a drama, it could cause secondary harm to the victims.

On the other hand, those who interpret the Jeon Cheongjo meme as satire responded with comments such as "This is the first time I've seen such memorable publicity," "A parody is just a parody," and "It carries the meaning of satire, so what's the problem?"