"SNL Korea Season 2", which gave a lot of laughs by showing various characters was embroiled in controversy that it demeaned the deaf.

The 7th episode of Coupang Play's entertainment show "SNL", which was released on February 12th, featured a news concept reporting controversy over the short track decision of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Actor Jung Sang Hoon interpreted the words of model Jung Hoon, who played the role of a reporter as an AI robot, in sign language.

However, in the video, Jung Sang Hoon did not show proper sign language, but expressed an exaggerated gesture unique actions without filtering and made a ridiculous expression.

The sound of laughter from the audience was inserted into the BGM as he was using sign language in a foolish manner.

When the video was released, netizens were angry at using sign language as a comedy material, saying, "This has crossed the line" and "It is impossible to use the weak as a comedy material".

The reason for demeaning sign language is because there has been a widespread opinion that it is no different than demeaning the deaf who uses sign language.

As the criticism grew stronger, "SNL" said, "We deeply apologize for causing concern to many people, contrary to the production intention, in the process of satirizing the issue of bias in the Beijing Olympics during the 7th episode of Season 2, 'Weekend Update', which aired on February 12", said the official statement.

They continued, "The video has been deleted, and the deletion will be reflected in the main story. In the future, we will do our best to provide a pleasant smile by paying attention to the material and expression in the program production process".

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BTS’s V is proving once again why he’s a global music powerhouse! His song “Winter Ahead (with Park Hyo Shin)” has officially surpassed 210 million streams on Spotify, showing its long-lasting popularity.

On February 26, Winter Ahead crossed the 210 million stream mark on the world’s biggest music platform, Spotify. Since its release, the song has been charting for 91 consecutive days on both the Global Spotify Chart and Europe’s Apple Music Daily Song Chart, proving its strong presence.

Originally released on November 29, 2023, Winter Ahead made a huge impact on year-end charts for 2024. It debuted at No. 99 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, topped Billboard’s Holiday Digital Song Sales chart at No.1, and ranked No. 62 on Billboard’s Holiday Top 100.

Over in the UK, the song entered the Official Singles Chart at No. 86, while securing No.1 on the Official Singles Downloads Chart and No.2 on the Singles Sales Chart, proving its incredible digital sales power.

The music video for Winter Ahead also became a hot topic! V transformed into a sculptor, delivering a deep and emotional performance with his expressive acting, pulling fans into the song’s atmosphere.

Despite being 6 minutes and 22 seconds long, the video went viral, ranking No.1 on the "Music Video Trending Worldwide" chart.

On TIDAL, a global high-quality streaming platform, Winter Ahead made history as the longest-running K-pop song at No.1 on the Global Top Video chart.

It also topped Top Video charts in several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Spain, Australia, and Singapore.

Even Billboard couldn’t resist the charm of Winter Ahead! The song was featured in "The 27 Best Winter Songs for the Season," with Billboard praising it as "evoking the feeling of the first day of winter, with harmonies as fresh as a snowflake."

They also noted that "its impact will last far beyond December 25."

Additionally, Winter Ahead was voted No.1 on Billboard’s ‘2024 Fan-Favorite Songs’ list, proving that fans can’t get enough of V’s music.

With this, V has now charted three songs on Billboard’s Holiday Hot 100, following Christmas Tree (2021) and his cover of White Christmas. He is officially the only K-pop artist to achieve this!

Even more impressively, he holds the record as the only K-pop artist to have three songs reach No.1 on Billboard’s Holiday Digital Song Sales chart, solidifying his dominance in the holiday music scene.

With Winter Ahead continuing to shine worldwide, V once again proves why he’s the ultimate ‘Winter King’ of K-pop.

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