South Korea's political circles erupted in an unexpected "dialect dispute" over remarks by a member of the girl group "Lesserafim." The controversy began when some argued that the member's use of the "~no" suffix echoed the speech style of Ilbe (Ilgan Best Storage), a far-right online community known for disparaging the late former President Roh Moo-hyun. As former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk joined the fray, saying "we must distinguish between dialect and Ilbe-style expressions," the matter escalated into a truth dispute involving the political sphere. Conservatives fiercely criticized Cho, saying he was "singing the bamboo spear song over a dialect."
On the 6th, Cho wrote on his Facebook: "Many people in their teens and 20s who are not Ilbe members attach 'no' to questions, and there seems to be a cowardly argument that raising this issue amounts to a condescending old man lecturing teens and twenty-somethings." He added, "I cannot agree at all." He emphasized, "The point is not whether attaching 'no' to a question fits Gyeongsang-do dialect usage, but that we must clearly make known this is a wrongful act that mocks and denigrates former President Roh."
The day before, Cho posted an image titled "The difference between Seoul people, Ilbe, and Busan people," explaining Yeongnam dialect usage in detail: "In Yeongnam dialect question sentences, 'na' and 'no' are used distinctly. 'Na' is used to confirm yes or no, while 'no' is used to request an explanation of a specific situation."
The sudden "dialect lecture" was triggered by a YouTube video from Wonie, a Lesserafim member from Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province. In a video posted on the 28th of last month to the YouTube channel "Hello, this is Wonie, nice to meet you," Wonie used expressions with the "no" suffix such as "wairano" and "museopno." Documentary director Kim Hyun-ji pointed out on social media that these were "Ilbe-style hate expressions," and as the post gained attention, an online war of words broke out. While Lesserafim fans pushed back, calling it "excessive interpretation," Kim held firm, saying it was "grammatically incorrect usage" and adding, "Young people are naturally using the ungrammatical 'no.' I feel a sense of crisis."
When Cho joined by adding his own post, the controversy naturally shifted to the political sphere. Conservatives fiercely criticized Cho for framing ordinary dialect through "camp logic."
Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok said at a supreme council meeting on the 6th, "Out of nowhere, they started singing the bamboo spear song at the Gyeongsang-do dialect," and pointed out, "It's just a Gyeongsang-do person using Gyeongsang-do dialect." Lee added, "I worry that an entertainer who grew into a new form of content by showcasing her hometown's regional character will lose her unique color because of Cho's senseless scolding."
People Power Party supreme council member Woo Jae-jun criticized, "There is an aspect where the political circle has amplified the controversy. When people like Cho stepped up to explain dialect, the controversy grew even bigger." Woo, who is from Daegu, explained, "In dialect, suffixes like 'go,' 'no,' and 'na' are used in various ways. In particular, expressions like 'museopno' are used simply as exclamations among young people." He also warned, "Politics that exploits former President Roh actually stirs resentment among the younger generation."
People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won wrote on Facebook on the 5th, "Even ideology and dialect are being judged—a censorship society where you can't even go to Starbucks or use dialect freely," sarcastically adding "museopno."
Voices from the ruling camp and progressive circles also cautioned against excessively expanding the controversy. Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Hyun-jung said on CBS Radio, "Politicians keep joining and inflating (the controversy)," criticizing, "What politicians should do is discuss how to eliminate the culture of hatred and mockery—stigmatizing like this and linking it to dialect is truly inappropriate." Former Justice Party lawmaker Park Won-suk said on the same program, "Even if there is controversy, it should be handled in the public sphere as cultural criticism—I don't understand why politicians are weighing in."
From "museopno" to the May 18 uprising, the telecommunications network law, and ideological screening... Is South Korea now a "mouth-gagging society"?
