Controversy Over Racism and Appearance Disparagement Surrounding the Content
Some NewJeans Fans File Complaints with the National Petition Portal
The Coupang Play original 'SNL Korea,' which has sparked controversy over racism and appearance disparagement, has been reported to the Korea Communications Standards Commission through the National Petition Portal. On the 21st, online communities and social networking services (SNS) saw a series of verifications that 'SNL Korea' was reported, mainly by the NewJeans fandom. They filed a complaint with the Korea Communications Standards Commission via the National Petition Portal under the title "Reporting Coupang Play for violating broadcasting review regulations by mocking a specific individual."
In episode 8 of 'SNL Korea' Season 6, released on the 20th, a parody of NewJeans' Hanni attending the Environment and Labor Committee's national audit on October 15 was featured. Not only NewJeans fandom but also some netizens criticized the segment as inappropriate, including the part parodying Han Kang, the first Korean literary figure and the first Asian female writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. [Photo by Coupang Play 'SNL Korea']
In particular, they are taking issue with episode 8 of season 6 of 'SNL Korea,' released on the 20th. The content parodied NewJeans' Hanni, who attended the Environment and Labor Committee's national audit on October 15. At that time, Hanni attended as a witness regarding workplace harassment and said she heard the phrase "ignore it" amid conflicts between her agency Adore's former CEO Min Hee-jin and the parent company HYBE, and mentioned that "a high-ranking company official did not greet her."
'SNL Korea' mimicked Hanni's awkward speech, as she is a Vietnamese-Australian, satirizing the national audit scene as if it were her fan meeting. However, many opinions stated that "this is distortion and disparagement, not satire." Additionally, some netizens pointed out that exaggerating a foreigner's pronunciation was excessive.
Especially, the NewJeans fandom stated, "Exaggerating clumsy Korean is clear racial discrimination," and "Moreover, arbitrarily judging and distorting Hanni's statements, who attended to testify about the victimization, constitutes defamation and secondary harm, and there is a risk of causing viewers to misunderstand the national audit."
Not only the NewJeans fandom but also some netizens criticized the part parodying Han Kang, the first Korean literary figure and the first Asian female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, as inappropriate. In the content, actress Kim Ah-young imitated an interview scene of writer Han Kang, exaggerating her gentle tone, hunched posture, and squinting eyes with her head stretched forward, which sparked controversy. Netizens who saw this collectively said, "Looking at the content about Han Kang as well as Hanni, it feels like mockery."
On the other hand, some argued that an excessively strict standard is being applied to comedy programs including SNL. Some netizens responded, "It's unfortunate that comedy can't be seen as comedy," "If you just laugh it off, society has become too sensitive and harsh," "Why are people silent when parodying Kwak Joo-seon or Bang Si-hyuk but react like this when parodying Hanni?" "Are they trying to abolish SNL like the past Gag Concert?" and "They attack as if it's a matter of life and death over something meant to make people laugh; this is the current state of laughter disappearing in South Korea."
Meanwhile, 'SNL Korea' gained great popularity for its parodies that accurately depict individuals' characteristics. It satirized politicians and followed trending influencers to provoke laughter. However, some content faced criticism for crossing the line from parody to mockery. Last year, it was heavily criticized for using the real victim of a curling iron incident as a gag material while parodying 'The Glory.'
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