'Do You Know Dr. Hong?' Jo Joobong's New Song
Lyrics and Music Video Suggesting Sexual Intercourse
Production Intent: Satire on Desire and Targeting Low Birthrate?
Ha... I have nothing to say.
Recently, the song "Do You Know Dr. Hong?" swept through various social media platforms (SNS), including YouTube. This song, released by comedian Jo Hoon (30) under his alter ego 'Jo Joobong,' faced criticism for its provocative lyrics deemed inappropriate for minors.
Then, on the 7th, Jo Joobong made a comeback with even more explicit lyrics. The song titled "I Have Nothing to Say" starts with a narration similar to the previous song "Do You Know Dr. Hong?" and contains somewhat obscene lyrics that evoke sexual acts.
Looking closely at the lyrics, it goes: "Once upon a time, two horses lived on a deserted island. One female horse and one male horse, and their love was very passionate. One day, a tsunami came and swept the female horse away to the sea. Do you know what the male horse said while crying after seeing that? 'Ha... I have nothing to say.'"
The music video for this song appears even more obscene when viewed alongside the lyrics. The female and male horses lie together, touching each other, then suddenly the screen zooms in on a hand clutching fallen leaves and trembling feet.
That's not all. Lyrics like "Ha, eh, that, that, there..." accompanied by seemingly intentional visual cues continue to evoke sexual intercourse. The song has two verses; in the first, the male horse says "I have nothing to say," and in the second, after the male horse dies, the female horse sings "I have nothing to say to give."
"Freedom of Creation" vs "Low-quality Lyrics"
Previously, Jo Joobong created a hit with the "Dr. Hong Challenge," a catchy dance with easy-to-follow moves. However, this challenge spread through short-form videos, leading minors to imitate it indiscriminately, sparking controversy. The lyrics, which include references to female body parts, were considered too provocative for minors, and the adult-themed comedy was not universally accepted as lighthearted.
Examining the lyrics of "Do You Know Dr. Hong?" reveals lines like "Once upon a time, there was a maiden who was complexed about her small breasts. She went to the famous Dr. Hong here. He said if you do this exercise, your breasts will grow." Jo Joobong emphasized important body parts and introduced a dance shaking the lower body for the challenge, which many famous YouTubers and others joined.
This sparked heated debates among netizens. One parent said, "This song is everywhere on TikTok and YouTube Shorts these days, and even elementary school kids are singing it. The lyrics are so low-quality, I don't understand why this is trending as a meme."
Another parent added, "It keeps appearing on YouTube, and my kids were imitating it, so I told them not to watch it and blocked it because it was embarrassing."
Elementary school children participating in the 'Do You Know Dr. Hong?' challenge. [Photo by YouTube]
On the other hand, some view the song from an artistic perspective. Comments included "We should respect creative freedom," "He's a comedian, what's the problem?" and "Even BTS's Jungkook did it, so I don't see why it's an issue."
There were also criticisms that it was inappropriate for government agencies to parody a song with sexual controversy.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) account during the Chuseok holiday, promoting toll-free highway travel. They parodied part of the "Do You Know Dr. Hong?" song, saying, "Did you know that tolls are free during Chuseok too?"
Netizens responded with comments like "Is a government agency following a lowbrow pop song?", "It's good to approach people with memes, but government agencies must maintain dignity," "They should consider that the whole nation is watching," and "It seems they wrote it without reading the full lyrics."
Intended Satire on Desire and Low Birthrate?… Truly 'I Have Nothing to Say'
Jo Hoon says that the 'Dr. Hong Challenge' satirizes desire and points out the low birthrate issue. [Photo by YouTube 'The Myeonsang']
After the "Dr. Hong Challenge" sparked much controversy, Jo Hoon explained the production intent on his YouTube channel.
In the video, Jo Hoon said, "I expressed human nature without reservation," adding, "I saw many people lacking confidence about their bodies. They deny the desire to have (a certain body part) grow, and I satirized that contradiction."
He also mentioned the low birthrate era, stating, "People enjoy adult and sexy comedy, but when you look at birth rates, they don't want to date or marry," and "No one sharply pointed out this contradictory situation. 'Do You Know Dr. Hong?' will."
However, despite the original artist explaining the intent behind the obscene lyrics, the controversy seems to be growing. The explicit lyrics appear to have backfired, as children imitate them unconsciously rather than the satire having its intended effect.
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