'SNL Korea' is in trouble again for its controversial sketches.
In the episode that aired on the 19th, actor Kim Eui-sung guest-starred, while Ji Yeo-eun did a parody of Hanni from NewJeans, who recently appeared as a witness at a national assembly hearing. Kim Ah-young also imitated author Han Kang's acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize.
Hanni testified at the national assembly on the 15th, discussing workplace bullying within HYBE. She spoke about feeling isolated and shared her hope that no one else, whether seniors, juniors, peers, or trainees, has to face the same situation. Hanni tearfully said, "This can happen to anyone, and I hope that no one else has to go through this. I believe that if we respect each other as human beings, there will be no workplace bullying or ostracism."
During the sketch, Ji Yeo-eun joked, "I had to appear because I was bullied at work," mimicking Hanni's Vietnamese-Australian accent. Meanwhile, Kim Eui-sung parodied Jeong In-seop, the president of Hanwha Ocean's Geoje plant, who gained attention for taking selfies with Hani.
After the episode aired, viewers were not happy. Many expressed their frustration, saying things like, "It's upsetting to mock someone who had the courage to speak out," "Imitating a foreign accent is a form of racial discrimination," "Is this satire? It feels more like mockery," and "Making fun of someone else's misfortune is not comedy."
Han Kang, the first Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, was also a target of parody. Kim Ah-young's imitation of Han Kang during her acceptance speech sparked comments like, "I feel embarrassed just watching," "This is serious," and "Turning a Nobel Prize winner into a punchline is unacceptable."
'SNL Korea' faced similar criticism in August when Jeon Jong Seo was accused of mocking ordinary people. In that episode, she portrayed a Japanese otaku girlfriend and was criticized for making fun of YouTubers' accents, outfits, and video content.
Source [1]
