"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".
Source[1]
