LE SSERAFIM’s Won-i Sparks Debate Over “Surveillance Society” in Politics Using Gyeongsang Dialect Phrase

Won-i, the Leader of LE SSERAFIM, uttered the phrase “무섭노” in her YouTube broadcast using the Gyeongsang dialect, which escalated into a controversy involving political figures. This incident has triggered serious discussions regarding freedom of expression and a surveillance society, as people begin to politically interpret ordinary dialect use by idols.

Won-i is from Geoje, Gyeongsang, and she said “무섭노” in a recent YouTube video using the local dialect. In the dialects of the Gyeongsang region, “-no” is a common ending used in questions or to conclude sentences. Won-i naturally used it in a casual context of exclamation or self-talk typical of everyday life.

The controversy intensified due to the usage patterns of the far-right online community known as Ilbe. Users of Ilbe have indiscriminately abused the “-no” ending to mock former President Roh Moo-hyun. As these users continued to add “-no” at the end of every sentence in a way that violates grammar, the phrase became a signal associated with that extreme-right community.

A broadcast producer and a former opposition party leader interpreted Won-i’s statement as a far-right expression, but the majority of politicians and the public rejected this view, insisting it was merely her native regional dialect. Won-i simply used the common dialect from Geoje, where she grew up, due to her young age.

Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of the People Power Party, voiced strong criticism. He asked, “Is it really necessary to create division by bringing up even the dialect of an idol in her twenties?” He also expressed anger, calling it “a cruel and terrifying form of politics.”

On Facebook, Yoon Sang-hyun criticized, “It is appalling to label even everyday dialect used in exclamation or self-talk as a mechanical Ilbe expression.” He escalated his criticism by asking, “Is this really something a political leader who once led a major party would do?”

Joo Kuk, the former leader of the Joo Kuk Innovation Party, is said to have proposed a guideline called the “Ilbe Discrimination Law.”

Yoon Sang-hyun raised even more fundamental concerns regarding the revised Information and Communication Network Act set to take effect on July 7. He stated that this law would contain harmful provisions designed to monitor and restrict citizens’ speech, writing, and freedom of expression in every aspect. He added that if politicians could arbitrarily define and punish “subversive” expressions, South Korea would descend into a horrific surveillance society where everyone censors one another.